Episode 161: Hank Fortener - "The 5 Chapters Of Your Life" Hank Fortener saw the transformational power of adoption when his parents gave forever homes to eight kids from eight different countries and fostered 36 children while he was a boy. Because of this, Hank created Adopt Together. AdoptTogether.org is the world's first crowd funding site for adoption. In the first 4 years, AdoptTogether.org has helped over 2,000 families raise over $8.5M to cover adoption expenses and bring their children home. Hank also speaks on the topics of leadership and teaming. He has spoken to companies such as: Sony Entertainment, Cardinal Health, Cornerstone On Demand, and a host of others. He has a podcast titled, "Typically Hazardous." Hank lives in Los Angeles with his wife Sueann and two daughters Cora and Charlotte. Hank also loves two dollar bills, great ideas, and good coffee. He currently is on tour with Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato. Had had the privilege of speaking at TEDx on "How To Use The Internet To Solve World Problems." Episode 161: Hank Fortener - "The 5 Chapters Of Your Life" Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show “What are the five chapters you want in your life?" In This Episode, You Will Learn: A person who is "drunk in everything about their life" who has great, healthy relationships will lead to sustaining excellence The importance of consistency -- "It's the only thing that has emerged to help me be successful" How to be more consistent - Set up tools (Evernote), Write 10 ideas per day (via James Altucher) Balancing his four main points of emphasis right now: Writing a book, podcast, running his non-profit, World Adoption Day Most excited about? Building a one of a kind type of platform -- "Creating the life I want" Currently hosting a pre-show on Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato's tour -- How it came about What are the 5 chapters you want in you life? -- Write them out Write previous chapters in your life that you liked and didn't liked Why he doesn't do well with a boss, but also why he is not a good solo entrepreneur -- He needs a team 3 Keys To Being a Fantastic Leader Generous - Volunteer connections, energy, and compliments Trust - Character, and Honesty Overwhelmingly accessible - You must be there for those that you lead "You must show up" How "World Adoption Day" came about Scott Harrison - Charity Water CEO is involved The "Seth Godin" approach - Pitch 10 people - If it comes back, it's good. The significance of a hand with a smiley face The process for "creating a day" with the United Nations Why adoption? His family fostered 36 children. 19 million children don't have lead parents. He grew up with 8 adopted brothers and sisters Why as the lead you must be "the first in and last out" “Ultimately, being consistent has led to long term success." Continue Learning: Read About: World Adoption Day Follow Hank on Twitter: @HankFortener To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 047: David Marquet - "Turn The Ship Around" Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Hank Fortener on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Daor Design - Daor Design will help you build your brand like nobody’s business. Most of their work falls into one of four categories: Logo Design, Print Design, Web Design or Digital Marketing. They pride themselves in being a trusted, valued resource for their growing family of clients.

Episode 160: Liz Wiseman - Why Lack Of Experience Is Your Advantage Liz Wiseman teaches leadership to executives and emerging leaders around the world. She is the President of The Wiseman Group, a leadership research and development firm headquartered in Silicon Valley. Some of her recent clients include: Apple, Disney, eBay/PayPal, Facebook, GAP, Google, Microsoft, Nike, Roche, Salesforce.com, and Twitter. Liz has been listed on the Thinkers50 ranking and named as one of the top 10 leadership thinkers in the world and recipient of the 2016 ATD Champion of Talent Award. She is the author of three best-selling books: Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work, Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter and The Multiplier Effect: Tapping the Genius Inside Our Schools. She has conducted significant research in the field of leadership and collective intelligence and writes for Harvard Business Review and Fortune and her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, Inc. and Time magazines. She is a frequent guest lecturer at BYU, and Stanford University. A former executive at Oracle Corporation, she worked over the course of 17 years as the Vice President of Oracle University and as the global leader for Human Resource Development. During her tenure at Oracle, she led several major global initiatives and has worked and traveled in over 40 countries. Liz holds a Bachelors degree in Business Management and a Masters of Organizational Behavior from Brigham Young University. Liz lives in Menlo Park, California with her husband and four children who share her over-active curiosity and sense of adventure. (Bio from thewisemangroup.com) (Picture from thinkers50.com) Episode 160: Liz Wiseman - Why Lack Of Experience Is Your Advantage Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show “The leaders job is to pull out the greatness around them." In This Episode, You Will Learn: Having an outward orientation and thinking beyond yourself will lead to sustained excellence Liz describes a "genius vs a genius maker" "The leaders job is to pull out greatness around them. They are past themselves." Larry Ellison is a prime example of a leader who pulls out the greatness in others How to earn the trust of the CEO Why learning beats knowing Only 15% of what we know today will be relevant 5 years from now Why lack of experience is your advantage Career advice to younger workers: "Don't try to replicate someone else. Don't be a "Steve Jobs wannabe" -- Be yourself Managers need to understand the value of rookies The disciplines of a "multiplier vs a diminsher" Signs you've reached a plateau in your career: Things are running smoothly You have "ready answers" You're getting positive feedback all the time You're the mentor You're busy but bored You start to play it safe Diminisher = Energy killer, puts a blanket on new ideas Multiplier = They use their own intelligence to amplify and help others grow and succeed A Diminsher is A trophy collector... Treats talented employees like trophies (until they leave) A tyrant... A creator of stress A "know it all" A Multiplier is A talent magnet... People grow around multipliers and other great leaders flow to them A liberator... They give space A challenger... They invite people to do hard things. They get comfortable inviting others to be uncomfortable. They create a warm environment. Someone who creates a safe environment for intellectual curiosity and creates stretch “Don't be intimidated by what you don't know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else." - Sara Blakely Continue Learning: Read: Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing In The New Game Of Work Read: Multipliers: How The Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter To Follow Henry on Twitter: @LizWiseman To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 047: David Marquet - "Turn The Ship Around" Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Liz Wiseman on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Daor Design - Daor Design will help you build your brand like nobody’s business. Most of their work falls into one of four categories: Logo Design, Print Design, Web Design or Digital Marketing. They pride themselves in being a trusted, valued resource for their growing family of clients.

Henry Ward, CEO of eShares, and Josh Merrill, leader of product and marketing at eShares, discuss the importance of hiring for strength and trajectory, rather than lack of weakness and experience. They also talk about building a platform for issuing securities and managing investments, starting small and building ideas, as well as the challenges of hiring and managing employees, including cultural fit and recognizing weaknesses. The speakers emphasize the value of learning and progress in a knowledge business.

Episode 158: Amy Jo Martin - How To Build Engagement, Trust, & Serotonin Amy Jo Martin, author of New York Times best-seller Renegades Write the Rules, founded Digital Royalty in 2009 to help corporations, celebrities and sports entities humanize their brands online through social communication channels. Amy Jo has worked closely with world-renowned brands such as Hilton Worldwide, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal to successfully humanize their presence. Her motto: humans connect with humans, not logos. Amy Jo herself has a social media following of more than a 1.1 million people and was named the third most powerful woman on Twitter by Forbes. Amy Jo believes the future of technology is the future of humanity. She conducts clinical research studies and travels the world to speak about this topic and many other topics. She recently spoke an audience of 10,000 people. In 2012 Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, and Baron Davis, NBA player, invested in Amy Jo and her company. After a successful seven-year run as the Founder & CEO of Digital Royalty and growing the business globally into ten different countries, Amy Jo recently exited the company. As a young female building her career in male-centric industries, Amy Jo has developed a passion for helping women thrive in business leadership. She is currently spending her time researching the relationship between technology and humanity. She is also investing in other female entrepreneurs so they can reach their full potential. Amy Jo is also a contributor to news outlets including the Harvard Business Review and Sports Business Journal. She has been featured in top-tier media outlets including Vanity Fair, TIME, Forbes, The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN SportsCenter, USA Today, MSNBC and Newsweek. Client portfolio includes: Hilton Worldwide, Shaquille O’Neal, Motorola, FOX Sports, The X-Factor, Chicago White Sox, UFC and Dana White, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Los Angeles Kings, Jabbawockeeez, Doubletree by Hilton, Tony Hsieh CEO of Zappos.com, Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, KC Royals and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Episode 158: Amy Jo Martin - How To Build Engagement, Trust, & Serotonin Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show “Don't focus on the number of followers... Focus on the connection you are making with your followers." In This Episode, You Will Learn: Having an innate curiosity and learning from failure will lead to sustained excellence How Tony Hseih and "The Rock" have helped Amy Jo learn about leadership The art of asking questions -- The Tony Hseih approach Creating an online business -- How she did it and how to grow it Not focusing on the number of followers, but the manner in which Amy Jo engages with them Listening more than talking How to figure out your value The power of a positive outlook How to boost serotonin (it's contagious) The importance of mindfulness "The unfollow exercise" How she built her large Twitter following -- engagement Why she wanted to start her own podcast "Why Not Now?" Definition of her success? Identifying your purpose, passion, and skill A series of experiments including living on a boat “Serotonin is contagious" Continue Learning: READ her book: Renegades Write The Rules See why over 1.15 million people follow Amy Jo on Twitter: @AmyJoMartin To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 047: David Marquet - "Turn The Ship Around" Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Amy Jo Martin on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Daor Design - Daor Design will help you build your brand like nobody’s business. Most of their work falls into one of four categories: Logo Design, Print Design, Web Design or Digital Marketing. They pride themselves in being a trusted, valued resource for their growing family of clients.

Episode 157: Chris Zook - The Founders Mentality: A Bias For Action & Front Line Obsession Chris Zook is a partner in Bain & Company's Boston office. He was co-head of the Global Strategy practice for 20 years. During his more than 25 years at Bain, Chris has specialized in helping companies find new sources of profitable growth. A best-selling author, Chris published his fifth book,The Founder's Mentality in 2016. Based on a decade-long study of companies in more than 40 countries, The Founder's Mentality shows how leaders can overcome the predictable crises of growth and set their companies on a path of sustainable growth. Chris has been a featured broadcast guest, including NPR, CNBC, Fox News and Bloomberg TV. He has been a keynote speaker at a wide range of international and business forums including the World Economic Forum, the World Knowledge Forum, the Forbes' CEO Conference, the BusinessWeek CEO Conference, the Economist Summit and Endeavour’s entrepreneur summits. In the last five years, he has done over 500 talks and workshops across more than 35 different countries. Episode 157: Chris Zook - The Founders Mentality: A Bias For Action & Front Line Obsession Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show “The leaders who have a deep intellectual curiosity to continuously learn" will sustain excellence over an extended period of time" In This Episode, You Will Learn: Having a burning intensity and passion around a topic/cause and a love of the details will lead to sustained excellence Walter Chrysler was a great example of this.. -- Also Phil Knight (Nike), Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX) The importance of a "deep intellectual curiosity to learn" Front Line Obsession - Do you treat your front line sales and customer service employees as the heroes of the business? Do you do whatever it takes to support them? Customer Advocacy - Do you relentlessly try to create loyalty with your customers? Is the voice of the customer fully represented in all important meetings? An Owner's mindset: A bias for action - Making decisions with speed. Quick to take on personal responsibility and risk to do the right thing An aversion to bureaucracy - Have you simplified your initiatives to focus on the biggest priorities? Are your planning and review processes the best in the industry and do you reallocate resources to make your front line more competitive? The amount of time spent on the preparation for quarterly meetings (building PowerPoint decks, etc...) is immense -- However, it's not focused on customers, which is a problem How Home Depot went from great to poor to great again...  The 9 Nike Maxims -- Make sure you celebrate your front line employees How can a company deal with cost reductions? "Train the guns on thet thinkers, not the doers" -- The bureaucracy has to go The importance of mindfulness Have a bias for action... Be a doer, not a talker 85% of a companies issues stem from internal issues Why a company needs one dedicated person to owning the customer experience  The hero of WWII - General James Gavin New Leaders - Spend the first 6 weeks in the field. Learn what is happening and why. See it for yourself Send an email to every person in your organization and take the time to thoughtfully respond to every email How Chris helped build Bain from 100 employees to 5,000+ Thought of "Learning Leader" as an academic term originally, but after being a guest on the show views it as a way to bring ideas from an outside audience and share with others “Complexity is the silent killer of growth" Continue Learning: READ his book: The Founders Mentality Follow Bain on Twitter:  @BainInsights To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 047: David Marquet - "Turn The Ship Around" Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Chris Zook on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell Bio From Bain.com Chris has authored numerous additional books with Harvard Business Review Press, including Repeatability: Build Enduring Businesses for a World of Constant Change (2012), an argument for simple, great repeatable models to realize enduring, profitable growth. In 2010, he published Profit from the Core: A Return to Growth in Turbulent Times, an updated edition of his 2001 best-selling business book, Profit from the Core: Growth Strategy in an Era of Turbulence, which offers an approach to assessing and making the most of core business opportunities. Chris's sequel, Beyond the Core: Expand your Market without Abandoning your Roots (2004) examines how companies that have fully exploited their core businesses can systematically and successfully expand into related, or "adjacent" areas. Unstoppable: Finding Hidden Assets to Renew the Core and Fuel Profitable Growth (2007) completes the series and examines what to do when your growth formula of the past begins to approach its limits, demanding that your company change its strategic focus and redefine its core. These “growth trilogy” books have received widespread critical support. Beyond the Corewas recognized by The Economist as one of the top five business and economic books in the year it was published, and it was also voted one of the top 100 business books ever written. Unstoppable was identified by The Financial Times as one of the notable business books of the year. Based on his work on how companies grow, Chris was included by theTimes of London in its biannual list of the 50 Most Influential Global Business Thinkers. He has written dozens of articles with Harvard Business Review Press and other business publications, such as The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The New York Times,Fortune, Forbes and BusinessWeek. He received a bachelor of arts in mathematics and economics from Williams College, an M.Phil. in economics from Exeter College, Oxford University, and earned master’s and doctorate degrees from Harvard University.

Episode 156: Greg Wittstock – The CEO Must Guide The Culture Greg Wittstock has been dabbling in water gardens since the age of 12. He began with a concrete creation and evolved to the naturally balanced, #1 contractor-installed ecosystem ponds that Aquascape is well known for. After graduating from Ohio State University with a degree in Interpersonal Communications, Greg founded Aquascape Inc., which experienced incredible growth during its early years. The company appeared on Inc Magazine's coveted list of 500 Fastest-Growing, Privately-Held Companies in North America from 1999-2002. Greg later appeared on the cover of Inc Magazine, along with a feature article about his leadership and entrepreneurial spirit.   Episode 156: Greg Wittstock – The CEO Must Guide The Culture Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show “The first job of the CEO is to guide the culture" In This Episode, You Will Learn: Most excited about: The 25th anniversary of his company, Aquascape Growing a business from college hobby to 120 employees and over $60m in revenue at one point "Those who sweat together stay together" Values of Aquascape Character Team Winning Fun The importance of playing football and how they taught Greg about teamwork How The Chicago Tribune story launched his business to another level Why he didn't speak with his Dad for 9 years The average pond they build is $15,000 Overall philosophy to the profession of sales: Help those who have had a bad experience, sell the lifestyle, share statistics about how a pond can change your life Find someone who has done what you want to do and learn directly from them "The greatest satisfaction in life is helping other people succeed" “Find someone who does what you want to do and learn directly from them." Continue Learning: READ: Forbes Feature on Greg Follow Greg on Twitter:  @ThePondGuy To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 047: David Marquet - "Turn The Ship Around" Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Greg Wittstock on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell The Learning Leader Show is supported by Daor Design - Daor Design will help you build your brand like nobody’s business. Most of their work falls into one of four categories: Logo Design, Print Design, Web Design or Digital Marketing. They pride themselves in being a trusted, valued resource for their growing family of clients. Bio From Aquascapeinc.com In 2004, Greg was nominated for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award. Greg also received the Best Boss' award from Fortune's Small Business Magazine and Winning Workplaces in 2005, and earned the University of Chicago's Entrepreneur Hall of Fame award in 2007. At the end of 2005, Wittstock's dream of a workplace utopia came true as the company moved to Aqualand, a 256,000 square foot office and warehouse facility that boasts the largest sloping green roof in North America. Aqualand received Silver Level recognition in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating system. Greg has been interviewed and featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times in 2009, and has appeared on a variety of television shows over the years including Good Morning America, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, and cable home improvement shows.

Episode 155: Russ Roberts - A Guide To Human Nature & Happiness Russell Roberts is the John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. Roberts hosts the weekly podcast EconTalk–hour-long conversations with authors, economists, and business leaders. Past guests include Milton Friedman, Nassim Taleb, Christopher Hitchens, Marc Andreessen, Joseph Stiglitz, and John Bogle. EconTalk was named podcast of the year in the 2008 Weblog Awards. Over 425 episodes are available at EconTalk.org and on iTunes at no charge. His two rap videos on the ideas of John Maynard Keynes and F.A. Hayek, created with filmmaker John Papola, have had more than seven million views on YouTube, been subtitled in eleven languages, and are used in high school and college classrooms around the world. His latest book is How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness. It takes the lessons from Adam Smith’s little-known masterpiece, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and applies them to modern life—lessons for work, family, friendship, and how to live the good life. Episode 155: Russ Roberts - A Guide To Human Nature & Happiness Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show “Man naturally desires, not only to be loved, but to be lovely" -- "The right way to be loved is to be wise and virtuous" In This Episode, You Will Learn: "Being intellectually alive" and having a passion about learning will help you sustain excellence The importance of being open to people outside of the box Adam Smith was an 18th Century Scottish Economist - Great writer, entertaining He wrote "The Wealth of Nations" and "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" What we all naturally desire = To be loved and to be lovely Why do we care so deeply about what others think of us? We want to be praised, BUT we want to earn that praise. We want to be praised for doing it the "right way" How do you know what is right? Step outside of yourself -- you're prone to delusion.  View it in the spectrum of an impartial spectator Meditation and mindfulness is helpful "A prudent man is sincere and honest. Also though he doesn't volunteer everything he knows, he is reserved and cautious in his speech and his action. He doesn't stick his opinion into every discussion." -- Be measured.  "Say little, do much." Create a beneficent rule about parenting -- Always take your child's hand when offered. It means holding their hand more often and also helps you remember to savor the moment. How to live? Seek wisdom and virtue. Behave as if an impartial spectator is watching you. Use the idea of an impartial spectator to step outside yourself as others see you. Use that vision to know yourself. Avoid the seductions of money and fame, for they will never satisfy. "These are the days to remember. They will not last forever." The story of Pyrrhus - The kind of Epirus - Why Cinneas thinks it's a bad idea. -- "What hinders your majestry from doing so now?" -- You don't have to conquer Italy to enjoy the fundamental pleasures of life. The Mexican fishing story = Bigger is not always better. Listen as this relates to so many people trying to check off boxes from a career perspectiveThe story of Pyrrhus - The kind of Epirus - Why Cinneas thinks it's a bad idea. -- "What hinders your majestry from doing so now?" -- You don't have to conquer Italy to enjoy the fundamental pleasures of life. “A prudent man is sincere and honest. Also though he doesn't volunteer everything he knows, he is reserved and cautious in his speech and his action. He doesn't stick his opinion into every discussion." -- Be measured.  "Say little, do much." Continue Learning: READ his book: How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life Follow Russ on Twitter:  @EconTalker To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 047: David Marquet - "Turn The Ship Around" Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Russ Roberts on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell Bio From RussRoberts.info Russell Roberts is the John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. Roberts hosts the weekly podcast EconTalk–hour-long conversations with authors, economists, and business leaders. Past guests include Milton Friedman, Nassim Taleb, Christopher Hitchens, Marc Andreessen, Joseph Stiglitz, and John Bogle. EconTalk was named podcast of the year in the 2008 Weblog Awards. Over 425 episodes are available at EconTalk.org and on iTunes at no charge. His two rap videos on the ideas of John Maynard Keynes and F.A. Hayek, created with filmmaker John Papola, have had more than seven million views on YouTube, been subtitled in eleven languages, and are used in high school and college classrooms around the world. His latest book is How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness. It takes the lessons from Adam Smith’s little-known masterpiece, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and applies them to modern life—lessons for work, family, friendship, and how to live the good life.

Episode 154: Lewis Howes - How To Acknowledge Greatness Lewis Howes is an online marketing expert, sought after business coach, author, podcaster, USA Men’s National Team Handball Player, and Lifestyle Entrepreneur. In 3 years, Howes went from sleeping on his sister’s couch to running a seven figure online education business. A former pro football player, and two sport All American, Howes experienced a career ending wrist injury that forever changed the trajectory of his business career. He has spoken to thousands at conferences, educated entrepreneurs and professionals around the world on how to make a living doing what they love. Howes has developed multiple educational online courses for entrepreneurs and business owners.  His latest book, "The School of Greatness" is a New York Times Best-Seller. The Learning Leader Show “Do I have permission to make this the best interview you've ever done?" In This Episode, You Will Learn: Being passionate and obsessed with your craft combined with a commitment to being great will help you sustain excellence Lewis sharing the painful moments about being sexually abused as a kid and how that impacted him The things that hold us back from being a true leader The power of vulnerability Let's change our conversation style... Instead of asking, "What do you do?" Let's ask, "What are you most excited about in your life? What are you most grateful for in your life?" His vision = Serve 100 million people Dealing with depression when a wrist injury ended his football career "Follow your curiosity"  Master a skill to serve others - Be challenged -- Look at your life in 6 month seasons Why Lewis transferred back and forth multiple times in college Focusing on your strengths and how it helps How to prime someone you are about to interview Why we all should acknowledge the positive attributes of a person and most importantly TELL them "I want to acknowledge you for..." A true leader is always learning “When you're a startup, you have to be willing to take a lot of risks." Continue Learning: His book: The School of Greatness See why over 109,000 people follow Lewis on Twitter: @LewisHowes To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 047: David Marquet - "Turn The Ship Around" Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Lewis Howes on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell

Episode 153: Brian Halligan, CEO of HubSpot: How To Make Them Come To You (Bio in first person from Amazon.com) My day job is as co-founder and CEO of HubSpot, an inbound marketing company started in 2006. Most business market their products by "interrupting" their potential customers with advertisements, cold calls, email blasts, etc. We humans have gotten sick of being interrupted by marketers and have gotten better-and-better at blocking them out with new technology such as caller ID, spam protection, TIVO, etc. HubSpot helps businesses transform they way they market from interrupting potential customers to helping them "get found" by them in the natural course of the way they work today in Google, in blogs, and in social media sites. In other words, we help companies transform from "outbound marketing" to "inbound marketing." Despite only starting the company a few years ago, we have over 1700 paying customers who on average increase their leadflow by 6x within 6 months of buying our product. In addition to working at HubSpot, I am an EIR at MIT where I lecture on startups and marketing as well as help students when I can. Prior to HubSpot I was a venture capitalist. It was in working with small startups that I realized that the fundamental way in which marketing has worked for the last several decades was simply broken. Prior to being a vc, I was a student at MIT where I was a Sloan Fellow. I spent a lot of time at MIT studying web2.0, business model transformation, and innovation. In the early part of this decade, I spent four years running sales at Groove Networks prior to it being acquired by Microsoft. I spent the first 10 years of my career in sales and marketing roles at Parametric Technology Corporation where I joined in startup mode and helped it grow to be over $1billion in revenue. In my spare time, I like to read books by folks like David Meerman Scott, Seth Godin, Clayton Christensen, Geoffrey Moore, etc. I also play guitar poorly. I enjoy all kinds of sports like tennis, squash, running, and golf. I can often be found in summertime enjoying a Red Sox game in Fenway Park. Episode 153: Brian Halligan, CEO of HubSpot: How To Make Them Come To You Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show “It looks like a rocket ship from the outside, but in reality it is slow and steady growth." In This Episode, You Will Learn: Having a willingness to embrace change will help you sustain excellence Understanding "The Inbound Methodology" How HubSpot was born The importance of finding a great co-founder who compliments your strengths What's advice would he give to others who are starting their own business? Must have product/market fit -- Look to improve someone's life with something that is unique.  For the first 6 months spend 100% of your time getting that right Specific notes about the product from a current user The Inbound Methodology - Much more effective than cold calling The traditional playbook is broken... How do you do "Inbound Marketing?" Create a blog, start a podcast -- Find a way to attract people to you. Hubspot does a fantastic job of getting people to come to them "I don't have a phone on my desk" -- "Sales is changing everyday" -- His co-founder just bought a Tesla and did the entire transaction online "If I was an outside sales person, I would choose an industry with a very complex product. If it's not complex, then the buyer doesn't need anyone to explain it to them. They can just read about it online." HubSpot sells a great deal completely through eCommerce Why they publish their "Culture Code" and how it's helped them recruit the best talent How they responded to Dan Lyons very critical book discussing his time of employment at HubSpot Dealing with negative publicity -- How to handle a crisis -- Agreeing that some of what was written was true ("We are way too white male and we are too young.") The dramatic rise of their stock price from when they went public to today (132% increase) Why they have an "Inbound" conference every year and what takes place at the event The importance of having healthy debates prior to "sailing the ships." - Once the ship is sailing, everyone must be on board Most important quality for Brian to hire you? They must know why they were successful in their prior work. He doesn't only care about what happened, he wants to make sure they fully understand why they were successful Read the book "Shoe Dog" by Phil Knight (Nike) "I like the name Learning Leader a lot. I like leaders who are constantly learning and evolving." “When you're a startup, you have to be willing to take a lot of risks." Continue Learning: Read: Inbound Marketing, Revised and Updated: Attract, Engage, and Delight Customers Online Read: HubSpot - Culture Code See why over 58,000 people follow Brian on Twitter: @bhalligan To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL Episode 047: David Marquet - "Turn The Ship Around" Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Kris "Tanto" Paronto on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell Bio From Amazon.com (Bio in first person from Amazon.com) My day job is as co-founder and CEO of HubSpot, an inbound marketing company started in 2006. Most business market their products by "interrupting" their potential customers with advertisements, cold calls, email blasts, etc. We humans have gotten sick of being interrupted by marketers and have gotten better-and-better at blocking them out with new technology such as caller ID, spam protection, TIVO, etc. HubSpot helps businesses transform they way they market from interrupting potential customers to helping them "get found" by them in the natural course of the way they work today in Google, in blogs, and in social media sites. In other words, we help companies transform from "outbound marketing" to "inbound marketing." Despite only starting the company a few years ago, we have over 1700 paying customers who on average increase their leadflow by 6x within 6 months of buying our product. In addition to working at HubSpot, I am an EIR at MIT where I lecture on startups and marketing as well as help students when I can. Prior to HubSpot I was a venture capitalist. It was in working with small startups that I realized that the fundamental way in which marketing has worked for the last several decades was simply broken. Prior to being a vc, I was a student at MIT where I was a Sloan Fellow. I spent a lot of time at MIT studying web2.0, business model transformation, and innovation. In the early part of this decade, I spent four years running sales at Groove Networks prior to it being acquired by Microsoft. I spent the first 10 years of my career in sales and marketing roles at Parametric Technology Corporation where I joined in startup mode and helped it grow to be over $1billion in revenue. In my spare time, I like to read books by folks like David Meerman Scott, Seth Godin, Clayton Christensen, Geoffrey Moore, etc. I also play guitar poorly. I enjoy all kinds of sports like tennis, squash, running, and golf. I can often be found in summertime enjoying a Red Sox game in Fenway Park.

Episode 152: Dave Dameshek: NFL Network Star, Comedy Writer, Working With Jimmy Kimmel Dave Dameshek is a TV writer and TV/Podcast personality. Dameshek is currently a football analyst and writer for NFL.com, appearing on NFL Fantasy Live and hosting the Dave Dameshek Football Program. He also regularly appears on the NFL Network. His past: The Adam Carolla Show debuted in January 2006, recorded in Los Angeles and airing in syndication on stations across the western United States. Dameshek was a regular cast member on the show from the beginning, serving as the show's official sports reporter. He received his first big break in 2001 when he was hired as a writer on Comedy Central'sThe Man Show, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla. In 2002, he began writing for Kimmel's new late-night talk show on ABC, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he made several appearances in addition to his main responsibility of working on the show's nightly monologue. Episode 152: Dave Dameshek: NFL Network Star, Comedy Writer, Working With Jimmy Kimmel Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show “If you outwork everybody, nobody can accuse you of being given anything." In This Episode, You Will Learn: The specific advice Jimmy Kimmel gave to him on how to have a successful career (work ethic) Super resilient and self confident leaders sustain excellence Best piece of advice for future broadcasters: "BE EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE" When it comes to Dameshek's feelings towards obnoxious TV personalities - Be yourself and always tell the truth Going from bartender to corporate sales to a career in entertainment Dameshek responds to the Reddit thread, "Does anyone actually like Dave Dameshek?" How he was able to earn Adam Corolla's respect (hard to do) A great story about one of his first "LA" experiences with Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla What "No Jive" means and why he believes in it How has Roger Goddell been as a leader? Why Dave gets nervous to speak with comedians but not anyone else Why people will tell you terrible things about themselves but no one will admit they aren't funny How to impress CEO's? "Don't kiss their butts" -- They are used to everyone doing that “If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember anything." Continue Learning: Read Dameshek's blog for NFL.com: davedameshek.nfl.com Follow Tanto on Twitter:  @Dameshek To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 You may also like these episodes: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 145: AJ Hawk - Life In The NFL, Awareness, Consistency Episode 047: David Marquet - "Turn The Ship Around" Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why Did you enjoy the podcast? If you enjoyed hearing Dave Dameshek on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me. Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell Bio Dave Dameshek Dr. Funny Dave Dameshek is a TV writer and TV/Podcast personality. Dameshek is currently a football analyst and writer for NFL.com, appearing on NFL Fantasy Live and hosting the Dave Dameshek Football Program. The Adam Carolla Show debuted in January 2006, recorded in Los Angeles and airing in syndication on stations across the western United States. Dameshek was a regular cast member on the show from the beginning, serving as the show's official sports reporter. He received his first big break in 2001 when he was hired as a writer on Comedy Central'sThe Man Show, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla. In 2002, he began writing for Kimmel's new late-night talk show on ABC,Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he made several appearances in addition to his main responsibility of working on the show's nightly monologue.