Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais

This conversation is with John Nordstrom -- of the Nordstrom high-quality fashion retailer in the US -- whose history has gone from a small shoe store, to having over 350 large luxury department stores -- to being publicly traded on the NYSE -- to being in the middle of a potential family buy back.This conversation is about a man who cares for his family and cares for his customers. It's authentic and it's one of the reasons the Nordstrom company has been successful.In this conversation, we talk about the steps Nordstrom took in growing the business. John takes us through the history of their expansion and how customer service came to be their number one priority.We also discuss how to create a culture of trust within a company and how to inspire others to be just a little bit better every day.We touch on the parallels between running Nordstrom and a professional sports team (he and his family brought the Seahawks to Seattle in the 1970s) and the factors that ultimately lead to running a successful organization._________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This conversation is with Dr. Albert Bandura.This conversation was an honor. He's literally a living legend in the field of Psychology -- He's an extraordinarily innovative scholar whose work in social cognitive theory has become an incredible resource in academics and for practitioners dedicated to human excellenceHis theories are part the core pillars with my work with elite teams, athletes, and performers. It was a complete joy to learn from him in this conversation, after I've spent so many years from him via research articles.His research changed our understanding of human learning -- how modeling and interactions impact learning - and how we can become more powerful as humans, in a variety of circumstances. He laid the theoretical foundation for understanding the self-regulatory mechanism for his theory on human agency.Human Agency is defined as the human capability to exert influence over one’s functioning and the course of events by one’s actions. Albert’s “Theory of Agency” has 3 elements. 1st, you have to project yourself into the future to have something to work toward. 2nd, is self-regulation, the extent that you can regulate your thoughts, emotions and behavior. The 3rd is self-reflection, to what extent you can judge your capabilities (also known as self efficacy). Self-Efficacy theory is at the center of much of my work with professional athletes and performers.While this might not sound novel now, this was a radical idea when he first introduced the concept that: Human beings are not just reacting to influences, they have a capacity to shape the course of their lives.Dr. Bandura pushed against conventional wisdom by introducing the notion that our thinking influences our behavior, our behavior influences our environment and our environment can influences how we view the world and ourselves. Dr. Bandura is game-changer -- a significant contributor to the betterment of human life_________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In these conversations, it's my intent to really dig, relentlessly dig, to work to understand the truth. The truth of the nature of the conversation, but also the truth of the person.And opening up is challenging - it's a really hard thing to do, as many of us can recognize, to be authentic and to be vulnerable. But in this conversation with Alec Stewart, it just worked and it was a pleasure.Alec is a former English cricketer, a right-handed batsman-wicketkeeper and former captain of the England cricket team.He is the second most capped English cricketer of all time in Test matches and 3rd most capped in One Day Internationals (ODIs), having played in 133 Tests and 170 ODIs.He's got a storied tradition and an incredible body of work.Alec now acts as an executive director of Surrey, one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales.This conversation is about enjoyment for relentless hard word and appreciation for the way it feels.It’s about setting a vision and having the confidence to pursue it.Alec gives it his best shot with anything he does whether it’s training for his sport or washing his car – it all matters to him.Some people have a hard time articulating their philosophy but Alec’s is quite clear – how can you be your best if you don’t do everything to the best of your ability.He’s got a knack for always wanting to achieve more and doesn’t believe it’s possible without the proper preparation for whatever the task is at hand.And so this is a human being that has excelled on the world stage, that is talking about how he loves the relentless work to get better and how important preparation is.You know we've heard this story before but it's so unique when it comes from one of the best in the world.It feels like lightning in a bottle -- he's authentically himself in so many moments and I think you just feel that in this conversation.Special thanks to Dean Riddle who made this conversation possible while I was overseas on a trip geared towards harvesting knowledge from world class performers, thinkers, and doers.“Whatever you do, make sure you do it to the best of your ability.”_________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shaka Smart is the Men’s Basketball Head Coach at the University of Texas and he's got a phenomenal way about himself.It just jumps out of this conversation how much he cares about other people, how invested he is in relationships, how he's working to be the most authentic person he can be — and at the same time pull that out of other people.He's definitely a relationship-based coach, which is obvious in this conversation, and he's got a real crisp point of view about how to help others become their best.I hope you enjoy learning from Shaka as much as I did and that we're doing justice in these conversations to highlight the brilliance and the genius within people.I also want to thank Ryan Holiday, a former guest on the podcast, for introducing me to Coach Smart._________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

First - real quick if you haven’t heard yet, we are pivoting from an ad-supported model to a crowdfunding model and we really need your support!You can learn more at findingmastery.net/support - it would be greatly appreciated.We’d love to see this podcast exist for a long time but that only happens if we have your support.And for those who aren’t familiar with Tribe Talk - it’s where I answer questions related to the podcast and high performance. I just recorded a new episode last week on how to separate who you are from what you do.You can find it at findingmastery.net/support!Now to this week’s conversation… it’s with Major MJ HegarMJ, one of Foreign Policy Magazine's 100 Leading Global Thinkers of 2013 and one of Newsweek's 125 Women of Impact of 2012, was commissioned into the Air Force through ROTC at The University of Texas in 1999. She served on active duty as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer at Misawa Air Base, Japan, and Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri where she worked on the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the B-2 Stealth Bomber. Her maintenance career culminated in responsibility for 75% of all B-2 maintenance as a Captain and selection as the Company Grade Officer of the Year for 2003. In 2004, she was selected for pilot training by the Air National Guard. Upon completion of her training at the top of her class, she served three tours in Afghanistan flying Combat Search and Rescue as well as Medevac missions.During her time in the Guard, in addition to the deployments to Afghanistan, Major Hegar flew marijuana eradication missions, wildfire suppression with buckets of water on cargo slings, evacuated survivors from hurricane-devastated cities, and rescued many civilians on civil Search and Rescue missions in California and out at sea.On her third tour to Afghanistan on July 29th 2009, she was shot down on a Medevac mission and sustained wounds resulting in her being awarded the Purple Heart. Her actions on this mission saved the lives of her crew and patients, earning her the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor Device (making MJ the sixth woman in history to receive the DFC...the first was Amelia Earhart...and only the second ever to receive it with the Valor Device). In 2012, Major Hegar filed suit against the Secretary of Defense asserting that the Combat Exclusion Policy was unconstitutional. In 2013, the Secretary of Defense repealed the Policy effective immediately.Talk about knowing what you stand for, having conviction, and going all the way forward.MJ contributes a lot of her success to the characteristics that were born out of the adversity she faced in her life.The heart of this conversation is centered around trust. Trust in self and trust for others.When a crisis arises can you trust yourself to make the right decision and trust those around you.Will you be able to think clearly and access your craft? Will you be able to pivot? Will you be able to perform eloquently in rugged and hostile environments?We all have rugged and hostile environments. They don't just involve combat. Every day we have opportunities to get right to our own edge where we're uncomfortable, where our heart thumps just a little bit when we're not sure if we can do the thing that we set out to do.All of those things show up on a regular basis for us so this isn't just reserved for military operators. Each one of us have moments where we're tested so there's a lot here for us to pay attention to.MJ talks about the importance of being able to be calm and she has a model that she's worked from which is, "Wind Your Watch" and it's a fun little applied tool that she shares in this conversation.We talk about the importance of having a cohesive team in the military and why outdated policies on integrating women had a significant impact on that cohesiveness.We discuss what it’s like to live with PTSD and how to best manage it.And lastly, we touch on the attribution theory - the way people explain the events in their lives._________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This conversation is with Rick Welts.He has 40 years of experience in the NBA and is currently the President & Chief Operating Officer of the Golden State Warriors who have just won their second championship in 3 years.He owns the rare distinction of being part of championship teams in the NBA (2), WNBA (2) and NBA Development League.  We talk about risk -- both private and public risk….and how important alignment in life is (who you are and how you live your life.Rick is known to be a world-class communicator -- and it comes through in this conversation ._________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This conversation is loaded. The center of the conversation is Dr. Harry Edwards journey to impact human rights through the experiences of the African American athlete.Often times when people are asked, what they want most in life, the response,, without hesitation, is "to be happy -- or to have peace." I know for sure that I don't want, just happiness. I don't want just one of the core emotions. I want to be connected to them all, not muted from the ones that are uncomfortable.In this conversation Dr. Edwards did just that -- he felt and shared sadness, frustration, fear -- he taught me more about how he lives his life in this fashion, than he did with his words -- and his words are precise and thoughtful.After completing his Bachelor's degree, he was "on the draft board" for an NFL team and rather chose to go to Cornell University where he completed a M.A. and a Ph. D. in sociology. He later became a professor of Sociology at the University of California at Berkeley from 1970-2000.He is a human rights activist. He was an influential member of the Black Panthers. He was the catalyst for the famous fist raise at the 1968 Olympic Games medal ceremony for the 200-meter track event.He was followed by the FBI as he fought for what he believed in.He's been consulting with the San Francisco 49ers since the mid 1980'sWe talk about what he sees as the most pressing issues for sport & society going forward.This includes the increasing majority of African Americans in the NFL, the impact women’s health care has on the future of college sports and beyond, the issue of marijuana legalization and its relationship to athletes, and why you can either choose to make Colin Kaepernick a martyr or a model._________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you have an iPhone, you know Adam Cheyer's work. He was the Co-Founder of Siri, Inc.He's now the Co-Founder and VP of Engineering at Viv Labs.Their mission is to: Radically simplify the world by providing an intelligent interface for everything.He's also one of the founders of Sentient Technologies, which was founded in 2007 and has generated over $143 million in funding since its inception.In this conversation, we talked about having a vision for what you prioritize most (he has goals for his self, for the world, and financially). He thinks "at scale."For example, Change.org was inspired by his "for the world” goal.We talked about the inception of Siri, and where machine learning is headed next, and debated if it's good or bad for the future.We also discussed how he creates and approaches seemingly insurmountable challenges and achieves them.Oh -- and Adam is an author of 60 publications and 26 patents._________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jon Gordon is a best-selling author: including The Energy Bus, The Carpenter, Training Camp, The Seed, You Win in the Locker Room First and The No Complaining Rule…..and his newest book: the power of positive leadershipJon has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, CNBC, The Golf Channel, Fox and Friends….and….seems like every other week I hear about him speaking to teams in the NBA, NFL, MLB….or keynoting conferences. Jon has spirit. And I think people are so attracted to him, because of that spirit. You can't help but want to be better around him.Jon played Lacrosse for and is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a Masters in Teaching from Emory University.The main themes for this conversation are about - connection, relationships, leading, striving together and how to succeed as a team. _________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wendy Behary is a founding fellow and consulting supervisor for The Academy of Cognitive Therapy (Aaron T. Beck Institute). Wendy has a specialty in treating narcissists and the people who live with and deal with them. She is the author of "Disarming the Narcissist -- surviving and thriving with the self-absorbed” translated in 10 languages. Narcissism and world-class achievement have an interesting relationship. When we think of those who excel on the world stage, it'd be easy to conjure up a story that they have a deep inner belief that they can be the absolute best in the world (that's actually not the case, as we've come to learn from many of the folks on the Finding Mastery Podcast. But for those who do hold that belief -- THE WORLD REVOLVES AROUND ME BECAUSE I’M THAT IMPORTANT AND SPECIAL --is when my antenna tends to attune to the concept of narcissism. It's the excessive self-centered vanity and lack of regard for others that is one of the hallmarks of narcissism. We can all be self-absorbed, needy….. display narcissistic behavior from time to time…that's not what this is about….it's when the sense of grandiosity is so pervasive that it impairs daily functioning with others, and in essence, within themselves. Narcissism is named for the Greek myth of Narcissus—who was a hunter and when he saw his own reflection in the water, he fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. He stared at his reflection until he died. The way I like to simplify narcissism, is that the person can't tell the difference between himself and everyone around him -- everyone then becomes a reflection of his him -- in which gives him the right to use them as extensions of his own self-worth (even if that means public embarrassment). There was an interesting piece of research in the Journal of applied sport psychology, 2013, by Ross Roberts and team -- where they found that the more narcissistic a person was, the less they benefited from psychological skills training - in other words, all you had to do for them, is turn on the lights, and they came alive. If you have ever thought, am I'm living with or working with a narcissist, or am I a narcissist? Wendy provides ways to tease that out. She dives into why so many elite performs are narcissists, and how we can be more effective with living and working with them._________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.