The Leadership Podcast

Louis Efron is the author of Purpose Meets Execution: How Winning Organizations Accelerate Engagement and Drive Profits, and How to Find a Job, Career and Life You Love, and also a contributing writer for Forbes and Huffington Post.The discussion starts with Louis's journey through theater, the corporate world, and how he came to see big disconnects between personal purpose and corporate purpose. Louis created a Purpose Alignment Score to help individuals discover their personal purpose alignment in life by asking questions about themselves (http://LouisEfron.com) . Key Takeaways [3:42] In Purpose Meets Execution, Louis writes that businesses need to rethink the fundamental drivers for success. Most employees do not see the P&L statement and they have other drivers. Employees are motivated by the purpose of the business beyond the P&L. [7:07] It takes a leap of faith to change. There is a fear in focusing on something other than P&L. But studies show that having purpose gives a greater ROI than profit alone, and new generations of workers will search for jobs that embody purpose and mission. [9:39] Tesla Motors created a role for Louis of Head of Global Employee Engagement and Louis held it for a year or two. Six years ago, Tesla had 600 employees; now they have over 30,000 in an organization that prizes purpose. The job was a catalyst for Louis's thinking. [11:27] Culture and mission start at the top. If the top is broken, the whole organization is broken. In a large organization, with a clear purpose, you have to make sure that everyone at every level is executing their daily work and seeing how it connects to the same purpose. [14:33] Living for years in Europe and Japan, Louis learned that there are cultural differences in different nations. In a big, global organization the goal is always to be the same, where possible; different, where needed. You have to learn how to leverage cultural nuances to deliver what you want to deliver. There's a lack of understanding how people see things differently in different parts of the world. [24:37] Louis has a video, "The Disengaged Clown," on his site. Louis wrote it, directed it, and acted in it. It is about a party clown who finds clowning is not his calling in life. The moral is to find your strength. Our stories influence our behavior, culture, and environment. Louis compares directing a stage production to leading a corporate organization. [29:04] If you get people connected to your organization to believe in what you believe (not to think the same as you, but to accept your purpose), that's going to play out to your customer. It helps you sell more authentically. It is a bridge between the personal and the corporate. [32:14] A culture of trust eliminates fear. People challenge, and contribute new ideas. They know if they fail, and learn from it, they can bring about better ways. A culture of fear stifles innovation and it all falls apart. LinkedIn: Louis Efron Twitter: @LouisEfron Website: LouisEfron.com Website: PurposeMeetsExecution.com Search for Louis on Forbes and Huffington Post Quotable Quotes "Employees don't get out of bed in the morning to … add $10 million to a top line." "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." — Wayne Dyer "In a big, global organization the goal is always to be 'same,' where possible; different, where needed." You are responsible for your own curiosity. "A great culture is built on trust." "As a leader, you need to both say the right things and do the right things but doing the right things matters much more." If you're talking a lot about trust in your organization, it probably doesn't exist there. "The more you can be yourself in life, the more successful you'll be." "Great leaders believe in who they are. They're authentic, they communicate in an authentic way, and they live what they're saying." When you have trust, it eliminates fear. People are willing to challenge, bring new ideas, fail and learn from it, to create new ideas. Bio Louis Efron is the author of How to Find a Job, Career and Life You Love and Purpose Meets Execution: How Winning Organizations Accelerate Engagement and Drive Profits, a contributing writer for Forbes and Huffington Post. Books mentioned in this episode How to Find a Job, Career and Life You Love: A journey to purpose, fulfillment and life happiness, by Louis Efron Purpose Meets Execution: How Winning Organizations Accelerate Engagement and Drive Profits, by Louis Efron (Also available at Barnes & Noble) Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek The Experience Economy, by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore

Daniel H. Pink, the #1 bestselling author of Drive and To Sell Is Human, unlocks the scientific secrets to good timing to help you flourish at work, at school, and at home. Everyone knows that timing is everything. But we don't know much about timing itself. Our lives as leaders are a never-ending stream of "when" decisions: when to start a business, when to hire people, when to deal with sunk costs, when to take on debt, etc. Yet we make those decisions based on intuition and guesswork. Timing, it's often assumed, is an art. In When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, we learn that timing is really a science. Key Takeaways The discussion starts with the topic of the Free Agent Nation - people working for themselves. Asked about Autonomy and Solitude as "motivators" versus the need for Collaboration as a team, Dan says that leadership needs to provide a balance between the two. He says the challenge is the architecture - both physically and metaphorically. He says that leaders should provide the same autonomy inside and outside the organization; and a sense of purpose whether the team member is full-time, part-time, or contracted. [4:07] By 2020, 43% of the workforce will be in the 'gig' economy. This requires different work environments and skills from leaders. Daniel wrote Free Agent Nation in 2001, before smartphones. In the years since, the difference between employee and freelancer has shrunk. [5:56] Leaders influence, persuade, convince, and cajole. These leadership roles are sales activities. and effort, time, commitment, belief, and zeal are the currency. Leaders and sales reps have little coercive power. Both roles must be adept at broadly influencing people. [7:41] 'If/then' motivators are effective only for simple, short-term tasks. Most leaders undervalue questions of timing in leadership decisions. They think of who, what, and how, but don't consider when to do it. The book, When -is really about the science of timing… and that leaders have systematically undervalued questions of when and timing when making critical decisions. Too often leaders focus on who, what and how, and short shrift when. Time management and timing overlap. [9:28] "Time-of-day explains about 20% of the variance in human performance on the sorts of tasks people perform at work." Timing is important. Leaders can boost productivity, creativity, and team performance at essentially no cost by putting the right task during the right time of day. "All times of day are not created equal." [11:34] Be conscious of the stages of the day. THere are three stages - peak, trough, and rebound. Your best analytic and focused work is done in the peak time. The trough period is when you lose attention. Administrative tasks could be done in this time. The rebound period is an ideal time for creative and collaborative work. Doing the right work at the right time will lift performance. [14:40] Chronobiology: There are morning people (larks) and evening people (owls). Younger people are more often owls, and older workers are more often larks. For example, people aged 14-24 are usually Owls, so you need to allow for rhythms according to their ages (no meetings at 7am for a young team!). [19:19] Daniel explains the new ABCs of Selling: Attunement, Buoyancy, and Clarity. Attunement is the difficult leadership skill of seeing from another's point of view. Clarity is communicating intent. Leaders need to explain the what, the why, and the significance of the mission. Buoyancy represents treating everyone fairly. Attunement is seeing someone's else's point of view (a little different than empathy). As for "Commander's Intent" - people often don't know what they're supposed to do and how it fits in at a strategic level; which is a leadership imperative. Other ways to communicate intent: Here's why; Here's what it means to all of us; and Here's why it's significant... [22:53] Daniel takes organizations through an exercise described in "DRIVE," he calls "Whose Purpose Is It, Anyway?" That is, what's the purpose of this company? It reveals that many employees have no idea about the purpose of their company. It leads to discussion of an organization finding their purpose. [27:10] From the book DRIVE, Daniel says we have an innate drive to grow, but we can only do it with information on how we are doing. Leaders need to give continual feedback to employees. Weekly, informal one-on-ones work well for that. Leaders need to be coached on how to do them. Asked, "What drives you, Dan?" He say he was making timing decisions in a haphazard way, and wanted to make better decisions about when to spend time. [31:37] Most people are curious about something. Leaders are taught to talk, not to listen, and to answer questions, not to ask them. Curiosity can be developed somewhat... If you get better at asking questions and listening, you'll get better at being curious. This also requires patience. Dan is committed to reading more - at 30 minutes per day. How about you? Twitter: @DanielPink Facebook: @DanielHPink Website: DanPink.com Website: DanPink.com/resources/ Website: DanPink.com/pinkcast/ Quotable Quotes "All times of day are not created equal" Too often leaders focus on who, what and how, and short shrift when. Doing the right work at the right time will lift performance. "Treating everyone well doesn't mean treating everyone the same!" People have a deep-seated need for belongingness - and leaders who account for this - can derive tremendous benefits. Fairness doesn't get enough attention. Humans are attuned to the norm of fairness. "Leaders who are fair are those who will thrive in the long run." "The ability to listen well is a deeply under-developed skill." "The feedback mechanisms in companies are fundamentally broken." "Leaders need to establish continuous conversations." Annual performance reviews are an absurd channel for feedback. Leadership should provide informal and frequent high-metabolism kinds of feedback! Follow your curiosity! Find about where people are curious in some other realm of their life. Help people get better at asking questions to develop their ability listen. We need to be more intentional - and less like driftwood. Schedule what's actually meaningful! Schedules should be sacrosanct. Bio Daniel H. Pink is the author of five provocative books — including three long-running New York Times bestsellers, A Whole New Mind, Drive, and To Sell is Human. His books have been translated into 35 languages and have sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and their three children. Books mentioned in this episode When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, by Daniel H. Pink A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, by Daniel H. Pink Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others, by Daniel H. Pink Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself, by Daniel H. Pink

Dr. Jacquelyn Paykel, Director of Whole Health System at the Veterans' Hospital and Clinics in Tampa, Florida, and Director of the THRIVE Program, reveals her grit in bringing ancient philosophies of care to meet the whole needs of veteran patients. Key Takeaways [5:11] Dr. Jacquelyn Paykel made herself over with introspection and self-compassion with four prongs: understanding herself and having self-compassion, understanding her veteran patients as part of the tribe, serving leaders by understanding their values, and understanding the VA's organizational goals. [11:52] Jacquelyn's training years were filled with the stress associated with terror. Stress can be productive depending on how you perceive it. Negative stress can cause damage. Positive stress can be healthy. If you exercise grit, you build confidence in yourself. [16:47] Early on, Jacquelyn collided with a medical practice's traditional culture with her new ideas and agenda. This created tremendous stress and daily scrutiny due to the lack of trust. Her grit came into play when she was on notice every day for a year to perform under pressure. She learned that she wasn't stuck. She could always change where she was and the way she behaved. It was a valuable lesson. [31:47] Dr. Jacquelyn Paykel is at the tip of the spear of changing minds and behaviors in a field that's not known for changing quickly. Hold your uniqueness without displaying it. [36:51] Jacquelyn explains THRIVE, a multi-disciplinary 14-week program that brings veterans together in a standardized curriculum based on positive psychology, integrative medicine or understanding self, and acceptance and commitment therapy. In the 14 weeks, the veterans form a tribe and support each other. The teaching staff also learns how to teach again. [42:35] Leaders find value every day in their own work, model their passion for others, and then allow them to find what makes them tick to interact with the world in a valuable way. Email: Jacquelyn.Paykel@VA.Gov Twitter: @DrPaykel_OBGYN Facebook: @Dr.JacquelynPaykel LinkedIn: Jacquelyn Paykel Quotable Quotes "It's in belonging — feeling like we belong — that we really can live our best life." "Stress is a very significant aspect of my training years. … there's a significant amount of stress even now … it's a 24/7 job." "If you don't have barriers up, people will naturally migrate towards you to help." You can change where you are and you can change the way you behave. And sometimes you have to change both. Hippocrates emphasized the natural aspects of medical care and doctors are getting back to that. "It really is about kind and compassionate care that will help these individuals heal. Each treatment has a placebo effect." "What I needed to do was acclimate and people needed to acclimate to me." When you move into a new situation, understand the environment and prove your worth to the people on the ground. "When people have confidence in you then you can do those creative processes and move forward from there." "We as leaders generally find value in what we do every day ... but it's our obligation to model that for other individuals." Bio Dr. Jacquelyn Paykel is a gynecologist and integrative medicine physician who trained at the University of Wisconsin and completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine under the direction of Andrew Weil. She is a United States Navy Veteran. Dr. Paykel has practiced in private and academic settings since separating from the Navy but found her way back home with the Veterans Health Administration in 2014. Currently, she is the Director of Whole Health System at James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital and Clinics in Tampa, Florida. She is also the Director of the THRIVE (Transforming Health and Resiliency through Integration of Values-based Experiences) Program, a novel health care approach that is based upon the tenets of Integrative Medicine, Positive Psychology, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Books mentioned in this episode Wired to Eat: Turn Off Cravings, Rewire Your Appetite for Weight Loss, and Determine the Foods That Work for You, by Robb Wolf

Dr. Sudip Bose, one of the world's leading physicians, and an entrepreneur, philanthropist, Bronze Star recipient and CNN Hero, shares what he learned in the emergency room and on the battlefield on how to inspire others to find their grit and lead. Key Takeaways [9:47] In the military, Sudip learned to rise to challenges. Work out, strengthen your mind, and keep your principles. You are responsible for the people you lead. [11:58] Optimism is contagious but maintain realism. Leadership balances the qualitative and quantitative aspects. Vision is qualitative. Profit margins are quantitative. Balance optimism and realism. [20:42] Authenticity lets you make the tough decisions in the right way. Sudip recalls working on the insurgent who had just killed his friend. [22:43] Communicating well is the one critical skill that 91% of employees in a Harris Poll said that leaders lack. The same survey said business leaders and managers lack emotional intelligence in how they communicate. Praise success and take the blame for mistakes. The buck stops here. [31:35] Studying is different from being in the field. You can prepare so much, but fresh challenges will come, and you will be shot at. Go back to your training and stick with your principles, and learn from it. [35:06] Sudip speaks to groups and uses the funds to help injured veterans. He translates experiences from the emergency room and the military into lessons tailored to the audience. Leaders are born, but they are not born leaders. Sudip froze at his first medical code. Leaders learn from their mistakes and experiences. They have to learn the quantitative and qualitative aspects of their roles. [36:39] Successful people have grit. Find your grit and be the leader you want to be. Passion goes with grit and perseverance. Use your life's experiences to improve. Sudip says if he can go from freezing at a code to becoming a leading physician, then anyone can use their grit to improve and succeed. Facebook: @Dr.SudipBose Twitter: @DocBose LinkedIn: Dr. Sudip Bose Website: TheBattleContinues.org Website: SudipBoseSpeaker.com Website: LiveClinic.com Website: SudipBose.com Website: Leadership-Under-Pressure.com Website: KeepYourInnerArmyStrong.com Website: AceYourBoards.com Quotable Quotes "Being a servant leader, you serve the people you lead." "Courage isn't necessarily the absence of fear. It's just knowing that there's something larger." "[Emergencies] bring you to the edge of your discomfort and you learn from it so that you can be a better leader later." Leaders balance confidence and optimism with the realities of a tough situation. "If you can't inspire yourself, how the heck are you going to inspire others?" "Mistakes are good. Mistakes mean decisions are being made, and we'll fix [the mistakes]." Authenticity overcomes concerns about being liked. "We like to be liked as leaders ... but ... you have to balance the qualitative and the quantitative." "Healthy and productive communication requires connection, but it also requires authenticity." "When there's success, give credit. When there's error, take the blame." Find your grit. "In history, no leaders have had to process so much information to make a simple decision." It's easy to be a giver, considering all that has been given to you by so many. Bio Sudip Bose, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, is a former major in the U.S. Army and an Iraq war veteran, and selected as the U.S. physician who treated Saddam Hussein after his capture, for which he was honored as a "CNN Hero." He is a practicing emergency physician at Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, TX and serves as the City Medical Director for Odessa. For his outstanding work in medicine, Dr. Bose has been recognized as one of the "World's Leading Physicians" as well as one of "America's Healthcare Leaders." Dr. Bose continues to serve his country. His prior experience influenced him to start www.TheBattleContinues.org, a nonprofit charity which helps veterans and educates the public on healthcare. Recognized as one of the "Leading Physicians of the World" by the International Association of Healthcare Professionals. Iraq war veteran, recognized as a "CNN Hero" for receiving the Bronze Star and being selected as the US physician who treated Saddam Hussein after his capture. He served one of the longest continuous combat tours by a military physician since World War II. Books mentioned in this episode Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are, by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value, by Bill George Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth

Brent Sopel, 2010 Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks, reveals how loyalty, and showing vulnerability inspired his teammates to better their game. He says that's what needed for team versus individual success. Key Takeaways [8:37] Brent was on a hockey team at age five. He learned team loyalty then. You win as a team, or you don't win. Every time he put the jersey on he was going to give it his all. [13:55] Brent was brought into the Blackhawks as an older player to mentor the young defense players. He showed them his vulnerabilities on the ice and let them be vulnerable so they could learn to improve. That team won the Stanley Cup in 2010, and some of the young players became Blackhawks superstars. [16:17] The 2010 Blackhawks team was the first team Brent had been on that got along so well. There were no groups, only the team. Everyone respected everybody and their roles. [19:02] Focus 100% on the task at hand. Have your mind in a good place. Be 100% committed. Visualize what you need to do before you do it, to clear your mind of all distractions. On the ice, Brent was so intent that he didn't care if he was going to break his hand or his leg blocking a puck. He was never the most skilled but he could always work harder than anybody. [25:55] Executives that have not been on a team have trouble working together. If you are not committed to your team, you will struggle as individuals and as a company.

Matthew "Griff" Griffin, CEO of Combat Flip Flops, shares his vision to use business... to end war. They make cool stuff in dangerous places. Griff believes lives are rarely lost to error, but opportunities are often lost. He says leaders need to refine their skills to keep their 'voluntary' team showing up; and performing... every day. Key Takeaways [3:28] Griff lives by a quote from his Pararescue friend Christopher Robertson: "Anything worth doing is worth overdoing." Master every aspect of anything you plan to do. When his advertising was misfiring and the company was failing, Griff researched intensively, tested and iterated, and hit the bullseye. [11:14] Griff shares the vision of Combat Flip Flops — use business to end war. They make cool stuff in dangerous places. [15:11] Griff knew Special Operations would be their core customer from the start and their products would trickle down through society. [17:40] Paint a good picture of what success looks like and your team will get themselves there. [20:32] In business, lives are rarely lost to error, but opportunities are often lost. Business leaders need to refine their skills to keep their 'voluntary' team showing up and performing every day. [24:50] Combat Flip Flops designed a Texas Flip Flop for Hurricane Harvey survivors. 100% of the profits from it will be donated to buy food, mattresses and clean bedding for Hurricane Harvey survivors. With help from Mark Cuban they've raised thousands of dollars on Indiegogo. [28:50] Griff talks about scaling from shipping daily from his garage to running a hugely successful company. A portion of every sale goes to support school girls in Afghanistan. [31:46] Adventure Not War documented climbing Mount Halgurd in Iraq, which was very healing for Griff after his war experiences. [36:04] Griff hopes politicians look at Combat Flip Flops and see a better way than war to achieve goals. Facebook: @Combatflipflops Instagram: @Combatflipflops Twitter: @Combatflipflops Soundcloud: @Combatflipflops Facebook: Griff Instagram: @CFF.Griff LinkedIn: Matt Griffin Website: CombatFlipFlops.com CFF News: Floperator Winter Summit of Iraq's Tallest Peak With The North Face CFF News: Google Named Combat Flip Flops in their 2017 Economic Impact Report TEDx Tacoma: The power of persistence, creativity, and respect, Matthew Griffin, TEDx Quotable Quotes "Anything worth doing is worth overdoing." — Christopher Robertson Overdo it in the research on one end and on the spending on the other end. "We really want our friends, and our family, and our fellow service members to stop deploying ... to endless wars." "We don't look at this as a one- or a two-year game. We look at this in … decades. We're going to be at this for a while." If you don't understand something your team is doing, admit you don't understand it and ask for an explanation. Your goal is to have your team succeed. The three tenets of leadership are purpose, direction, and motivation. Show your team what success looks like and they will get themselves there. "Cash is king. … I look at money like I look at bullets. … The more I have, the more effective I can be at my job." "We scaled 450% last year, and we did it on cash." "We can mathematically show you why we have to diversify our products, and we can show you down to the penny." "Drop by drop a river is made." Bio Matthew "Griff" Griffin is a 2001 USMA graduate, Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran with 2d Ranger Battalion, and CEO of Combat Flip Flops. Mr. Griffin co-founded Combat Flip Flops in Kabul, Afghanistan. Griff specialized in developing solutions for companies growing business in "difficult" locations. A Graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in Engineering Management, Griff served in the 75th Ranger Regiment as a Rifle Company Fire Support Officer with three tours to Afghanistan and one tour to Iraq. Post military, Mr. Griffin moved to the private sector as the Director of Military Sales for Remote Medical International and the director of Special Operations for Protect the Force. Griff currently serves as a logistics officer for Team 5 Foundation. In the off time, you can find Griff slaying powder on skis, dirt on bikes, or big game with carbon fiber arrows. Books mentioned in this episode Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't, by Simon Sinek

Robert Glazer, founder and Managing Director of Acceleration Partners, and is focused on personal motivation, and coaching people to go well beyond what they have done before. Key Takeaways [5:52] Employees come into a company, they leave, and they advocate for the company. Citing Lee Caraher's The Boomerang Principle, Bob notes that his companies maintain partnerships with alumni. [13:16] There must be room for failure. A failed campaign can inform a better campaign, after a debrief. [16:38] Bob talks about performance and capacity. Capacity is like a balloon. You can learn to perform up to your capacity and then you can learn to grow your capacity more than you have ever done. [17:45] When people have work struggles, their struggles are often tied to personal issues. [27:18] Your zone of strength is where you excel. [29:45] A turning point on Bob's leadership journey was learning to ask, "Who are you? What do you value? What do you really want from life?" When you can align your life around all of that, you'll be extremely successful. If your job supports your core purpose, then you're going to be happy. Facebook: Robert Glazer Twitter: @Robert_Glazer LinkedIn: Robert Glazer Book site: Performance-Partnerships.com Blog site: FridayFwd.com Podcast: Accelerationpartners.com/resource-center/our-podcasts/ Website: AccelerationPartners.com Website: BrandCycle.com Website: RobertSGlazer.com Quotable Quotes Real relationships can be sustained through good times and bad. Win-win is the essence of performance Trust = Character & Competence When 20% is R&D, failures are not catastrophic. If you knew something would work in advance of trying it, you could be on a beach somewhere. Coaching people to where they should be is Step A of leadership. Step B is getting them to do more than they've ever done. "Almost every big new idea I have comes out of travel." The worst thing you can do is work on your weaknesses. Be aware of them, but spend your time in your zone of strength. "If you haven't actually figured out where you're trying to go, it's very hard to lead others." Bio Robert Glazer is the Founder and Managing Director of Acceleration Partners, an industry-leading affiliate program management agency that helps preeminent brands, including adidas, ModCloth, Reebok, Target, Gymboree, and Warby Parker, establish and grow transparent, brand-aligned, and performance-driven affiliate programs. Robert is also the co-founder and Chairman of BrandCycle and the author of the inspirational blog, Friday Forward. His passion for sharing his experiences and expertise in internet marketing, affiliate marketing, and marketing strategy has made him a sought-after speaker across the globe. He is respected for his ability to explain the oft-misunderstood world of affiliate marketing, where it is headed, and why the affiliate model is such an important part of a growing company's business. In addition to writing the globally best-selling book, Performance Partnerships, The Checkered Past, Changing Present and Exciting Future of Affiliate Marketing, Robert is a regular contributor to numerous outlets, including Entrepreneur, Fast Co, Huffington Post, Success, and Forbes, writing about performance marketing, strategy, and culture. He is the recipient of the Boston Business Journal "40 under 40" award, the SmartCEO Boston Future 50 award, and a finalist for the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year in New England. You can learn more about Robert at RobertSGlazer.com Books mentioned in this episode Performance Partnerships, The Checkered Past, Changing Present and Exciting Future of Affiliate Marketing, by Robert Glazer The Boomerang Principle: Inspire Lifetime Loyalty from Your Employees, by Lee Caraher The Optimistic Child: A Proven Program to Safeguard Children Against Depression and Build Lifelong Resilience, by Martin Seligman The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, by Stephen M. R. Covey Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown

Mike Pierce, better known as Antarctic Mike, connects the drivers and principles of Antarctic expedition history stories to the real world of finding, engaging and keeping great people in today's business world. Mike reveals what drives him to take on ridiculously difficult goals. His advice: Don't make assumptions about what others will find challenging. Understand what their prize is. Everyone, every day, is called on to be a leader. Key Takeaways [2:22] Mike's program, "Leading at 90 Below Zero," began when Mike was teaching a four-day leadership course and found inspiration in the book, The Shackleton Way. In a few minutes, he realized there would be many lessons for the real world in the account of Shackleton's Antarctic expedition. [7:02] Ernest Shackleton picked the best people. He started by publishing an extraordinary recruitment piece. More than 5,000 applied. Selection comes down to character. Assuming you pick the right people, you have to make sure they want to go all in. The leader's job is to be the catalyst to get the team, individually and collectively, to push all the chips into the center of the table. [14:03] One of the challenges of hiring is to find the right people. Mike thinks character is not in short supply, but it is time-consuming to find. You have to look at people one at a time. An organization needs to offer an opportunity that's compelling and challenging enough for a candidate to say they want to learn more about it.[16:27] Most good companies have good opportunities, but they don't showcase them very well. Don't let your company drown in the sea of similarity. Mike uses an example to tell how a compelling story can put your company ahead.[21:10] Mike considers how the introversion of an endurance athlete, with their long periods of uninterrupted hours of training, is advantageous in a team member. Each member has to perform at the highest level. You can't allow circumstances to become excuses. You have to overcome them or go around them to go forward. This requires the level of discipline that an endurance athlete acquires. [25:36] Mike's book, The Penguin Principle, was born out of his frustration about mass emailings that had no bearing on him or his needs. The emperor penguin survives the Antarctic winter in teams. Each penguin is more concerned about their mate and their chick than for themselves. Mike would like salespeople to think more about him and his needs than their needs when they contact him. [28:25] Mike discusses the historical background to Shackleton's planned Antarctic crossing. The South Pole had already been reached by a competitor, but no one had gone from one side of Antarctica to another. Ego was a big part of their setting out on an extraordinary two-year expedition. None of them lost hope and they all came back alive. Shackleton played the role of the leader very well. [34:12] Mike reveals what drives him to take on ridiculously difficult goals. He likes to do what no one else has done. He's a disruptor. Everyone defines 'challenge' in a different way. Don't make assumptions about what others will find challenging. Understand what their prize is. Everybody's in the race for a reason. Wake them to their reason. Mike says that everyone, every day, is called to be a leader. Google: Antarctic Mike Facebook: @Antarctic.Mike Twitter: @AntarcticMike LinkedIn: Antarctic Mike (Mike Pierce) YouTube: AntarcticMike Quotable Quotes Everybody's in the race for a reason. Wake them to their reason. The companies that get and keep the best employees and customers are the ones doing things no one has done before. "People have to want to go all in." "The advantage of being by yourself is that the discipline has to be self-imposed." "The best teams … almost don't need a manager … if all the team members have an inherent sense of self-discipline." "Every person, every day is called to lead. Every employee ... has to think on their feet. They have to make decisions." Bio Mike Pierce, better known as Antarctic Mike, works with organizations that want to find, engage and keep the best-performing people. Mike's background professionally started in the recruiting business in 1997, working specifically to show managers and leaders exactly how to identify and recruit the best people. He now speaks across the U.S. and Canada to executive teams, organizations, associations and sales teams about how to lead people so they are fully engaged in what they do. Mike is an avid fan of polar expedition history and is an endurance athlete. In 2006, Mike became one of 9 people to run the first ever Antarctic Ice Marathon and a year later became the first American to run the Antarctic 100k, a grueling 62 miles on an ice shelf 600 miles from the South Pole. His flagship program, Leading at 90 Below Zero, connects the drivers and principles of Antarctic expedition history stories to the real world of finding, engaging and keeping great people in today's business world. Mike has a BA from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and resides in Encinitas, CA with his wife Angela. Books mentioned in this episode Shackleton's Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer, by Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell The Penguin Principle: A Little Story about True Teamwork, by Antarctic Mike Pierce

Scott Wintrip, author of High Velocity Hiring, discusses a range of hiring and cultural issues around creating a high performance team. He explains that instead of hiring when an opening occurs, leaders should know their ideal candidate profile, and interview ideal candidates continually. This builds relationships and keeps high potentials in a hiring inventory pipeline, and ready for a position when it comes open. Key Takeaways [2:25] In our fast-paced world, the adage about being slow to hire is wrong. An empty seat is an open wound. The manager has to do their own role, the work of the empty seat, and the work of hiring someone to fill it. A manager doing three jobs is hiring while distracted. We need people readily available to power companies. The first job of leadership is hiring a quality team to lead. [5:51] Build an inventory over time by seeking referrals, having conversations, interviewing the best, and using them to fill positions in a continuing process to stockpile people who are ready as you need them. This takes half the time of rushing to fill an open spot. [11:00] Scott suggests using a hands-on interview where real sample work is completed. This circumvents the 'tell, sell, and swell,' of a normal interview and it begins the assessment process. Top talented candidates don't enjoy a drawn-out multiple-interview process. They appreciate this process of looking ahead and being ready to work together when the time is right. It's cultivating a relationship.[15:14] Start with a 'hire-right profile,' of a list of deal makers, deal breakers, boosts, and blocks. Know the candidate you want, before you start looking. Then talk to and interview people who fit the profile and do some hands-on work with them, looking ahead to future openings. Candidates will last for months or years in your inventory if they think you will be the right company for them.[19:27] Companies with a great brand can afford a grueling hiring experience, for a while, but turnover is high at those companies. Loyalty is earned through culture. Recruit from those companies whose employees are looking around. [29:26] Scott has always looked for things he wasn't doing well to try to find a way to do them better. Early in Scott's hiring career, he found he was a bad interviewer, so he decided to do the exact opposite of what he was doing, as a starting point. That started Scott on the path to hands-on interviewing. His passion comes from improving himself on his entrepreneurial journey. His transparency is relatable. [36:21] Find your hire-right profile in a four-quadrant grid. Upper left is Must Haves. Upper right is Must Not Haves. Lower left is Boosts. Lower right is Blocks. Think of people who have succeeded in the role. List their commonalities as Must Haves. Think of people who were unfit for the role. List their commonalities as Deal Breakers. Then add ideal qualities and negative aspects in the bottom quadrants. Website: HighVelocityHiring.com Twitter: @ScottWintrip LinkedIn: Scott Wintrip Email: Scott@ScottWintrip.com Website: Wintrip Consulting Group Book: High Velocity Hiring: How to Hire Top Talent in an Instant, by Scott Wintrip SHRM: "6 Steps to Move Hiring Out of the Slow Lane," by Scott Wintrip Top 100 onAmazon: High Velocity Hiring: How to Hire Top Talent in an Instant, by Scott Wintrip Fast Company: "The Deceptively Simple Type of Question Every Interviewer Needs to Know," by Scott Wintrip Forbes: "You're Hired: High Velocity Hiring Techniques," by Kevin Kruse ABC: "How to nail down the job of your dreams without breaking a sweat, with Scott Wintrip" Fox: "High Velocity Hiring" Quotable Quotes "Adages are called old adages for a reason — because they're old and they're tired and they often don't work." "We need people readily available because people power companies." "All great leadership starts with picking the right people with whom you surround yourself." A couple hours of calling and interviewing a month allow you to stockpile people who are ready-to-hire. "Building inventories takes half the time, compared to conventional ways of reacting to an open job." A sales pipeline and a hiring pipeline are really the same. You want to nurture and progress the prospect along the way. "We sell the best parts of ourselves. ... That's not a very good indicator of whether or not somebody's a fit." "Candidates love a 'red carpet' experience; they loathe the 'Survivor-like' interviewing experience." Good leaders want career seekers who look ahead, not job hunters focused on the present. "Companies can live on their brand for a while when it comes to hiring, but it doesn't last forever." "Our best lessons come from our mistakes and how we respond to those mistakes." Engage with people instead of imposing upon them. Say, this is what we going to do, and this is why. How will we do it? "Every day I find something new about myself that I didn't know and that's pretty doggone cool." "I'm a recovering perfectionist, as a lot of the leaders are." Bio Scott Wintrip eliminates hiring delays by helping organizations across the globe implement a process to fill jobs the moment they become open. He's the author of High Velocity Hiring: How to Hire Top Talent in an Instant (McGraw-Hill). Books mentioned in this episode High Velocity Hiring: How to Hire Top Talent in an Instant, by Scott Wintrip Wool Omnibus Edition (Silo Series Book 1), by Hugh Howey

The hosts of The Leadership Podcast are joined by Scott Mann for a relaxed discussion of what it means to be grateful and thankful.