The Leadership Podcast

Rick Nelson is a leader, and as the CEO of Direct Technology, his team went from 12 people in 2006 to over 650 employees today. Rick shares how his Air Force background serves him today, and speaks candidly about owning up to his own strengths and weakness. He explains how he tackles today's business challenges, and how he values quality people over people skillsets. Key Takeaways [3:53] Almost all issues, challenges, and opportunities exist within people. Individuals want to know they are contributing in a meaningful way to something that has a purpose, and that they can grow personally and professionally within the organization. [6:00] Rick looks at challenges by root cause analysis. He asks himself what he's trying to accomplish; is it broken; and if so, why? He asks why, seven to ten times to get to the root cause. With the root cause, he calls in outside help, develops the vision, describes the vision, gets leader agreement, and executes. They ensure the mission is consistent with the goals. [7:30] Rick talks about a challenge buying a sizeable organization and integrating it into the company. It meant aligning the company vision, getting individuals aligned with their work, with their units, and then into the overall company. [8:59] Rick realized that maintaining a consistent customer experience meant he needed to delegate the assignment to others with a better ability to focus on customers, so he could maintain the big picture. [13:50] For Rick, personal coaching provided great value to him, and he saw a need for business coaching. He recommends not waiting for a catalyst. Get an an outside coach. [21:47] Rick talks about creativity, rigor and tight discipline in business. Each business has its own story, but they all sell (creativity), deliver (rigor), and get paid (tight discipline). All problems relate to these three areas. Business problems are innately hard to solve. Coaches have solved this problem before. [29:02] Pride is a powerful motivator, but if you hold on to it, and it leads you to insist on your way instead of the right way, it can be a problem. Focus on giving your best effort, and letting your pride show in the excellence of your performance. Vulnerability and candor inspire people to follow you. [33:29] Veterans bring skillsets and the capacity to drive further, faster, than others. If you start with the individual, and look at the characteristics gained by their military experience, including EQ, you'll see an outstanding person. Rick talks of veterans he has hired that he calls business athletes. [40:41] CEOs need a succession plan. He and his partners worked the succession plan into the development of the company from the beginning when there were only 12 people. Website: DirectTechnology.com Website: TAGroupHoldings.com Facebook: @DirectTechnologyInc Twitter: @DTChief Twitter: @DirectTechHQ LinkedIn: Rick Nelson LinkedIn: Direct Technology

Summary & Ideas for Action Rudy Ruettiger is a motivational speaker and author, and best known for being the subject of the movie, Rudy. Rudy talks about anonymous helpers in his life, and the rules he lives by. Listen in as Rudy talks about his own brand of positivity. Key Takeaways [2:33] Despite his small stature, Rudy was a walk-on for the Notre Dame football team. He first had to meet the academic challenge of getting into Notre Dame. Playing on the team, he says, was just a matter of hanging in there and not giving up. [3:48] Rudy was a little older, having just come out of the military, and he hadn't played organized football for years. Rudy says getting the movie made was as hard as being on the team. [8:49] Rudy was inspired by Sylvester Stallone, and how he fought his challenges to reach his dream of making Rocky. He didn't listen to negative voices, but surrounded himself with supporters, and relied on his faith in God to follow the path he felt to follow. He recalls a moment he shared with Sylvester Stallone when they met. [17:08] Eliminate negative people from your life, and be with people who want to help you. Rudy talks about a bad business experience that he let go, although it was very expensive to him. [21:26] Rudy had a special helper, and knows he would not have gotten through the tough times without him. He says this person does not need or want public recognition. It is enough that he was there when he was needed. [27:46] Rudy became a motivational speaker, in spite of being "a terrible speaker." He just wants to communicate, authentically. Rudy captivates audiences with a natural connection. [30:53] Rudy only quits things if he doesn't believe in them. It's energy and time wasted to pursue things that are out of line with your values. Rudy does what he does, because he loves it. [35:03] The Rudy Foundation is run by Rudy's ex-wife, for youth. Rudy's legacy is to inspire people to do what they love, and to persist. Books Mentioned in this Episode Rudy: My Story, by Rudy Ruettiger and Mark Dagostino Rudy's Insights for Winning in Life, by Rudy Ruettiger Rudy's Rules for Success: How to Reach Your Dreams, by Rudy Ruettiger and Mike Celizic Rudy's Lessons for Young Champions: Choices and Challenges, by Rudy Ruettiger, Cheryl Ruettiger, Bill Atkinson, and Rebecca Wolfe Atkinson Rudy & Friends: Awesome and Inspiring Real Life Stories of Ordinary People Overcoming Extraordinary Odds, by Rudy Ruettiger The Rudy in You: A Guide to Building Teamwork, Fair Play and Good Sportsmanship for Young Athletes, Parents and Coaches, by Donald T. Phillips, Rudy Ruettiger, and Peter M. Leddy, Ph.D. Bio Against all odds on a gridiron in South Bend, Indiana, Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, in twenty seven seconds, carved his name into history books as perhaps the most famous graduate of the University of Notre Dame. The son of an oil refinery worker, and third of 14 children, Rudy rose from valleys of discouragement and despair to the pinnacles of success. Today, he is one of the most popular motivational speakers in the United States. It took years of fierce determination to overcome obstacles and criticisms, yet Rudy achieved his first dream — to attend Notre Dame and play football for the Fighting Irish. As fans cheered RU-DY, RU-DY, he sacked the quarterback in the last 27 seconds of the only play in the only game of his college football career. He is the only player in the school's history to be carried off the field on his teammates' shoulders. In 1993, TRISTAR Productions immortalized his life story with the blockbuster film, RUDY. Written and produced by Angelo Pizzo and David Anspaugh, the award-winning team who brought us HOOSIERS, the critically-acclaimed RUDY received "Two Thumbs Up" from Siskel and Ebert, and continues to inspire millions worldwide. Today a highly sought-after motivational speaker, Rudy entertains international corporate audiences with a unique, passionate, and heartfelt style of communicating. He reaches school children, university students, and professional athletes with the same enthusiasm, portraying the human spirit that comes from his personal experiences of adversity and triumph. His captivating personality and powerful message of "YES I CAN" stays with his audiences forever. Rudy's opening remarks receive thunderous applause and standing ovations from audiences of 200 to 20,000 people who emotionally chant RU-DY, RU-DY! Rudy has appeared on various high-profile nationally televised talk shows and radio shows across the country, is featured in national magazine publications, and has been honored with the key to many cities in the United States, with special proclamations for his inspiration, commitment, and human spirit. Rudy received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Our Lady of Holy Cross College, the Distinguished American Award, A Proclamation from the Governor of Nevada granting an Official Rudy Award Day, was inducted into the Speakers Hall of Fame, and spoke at the White House during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. In addition to his motivational speaking, Rudy has co-authored several books, including: RUDY'S INSIGHTS FOR WINNING IN LIFE, RUDY'S LESSONS FOR YOUNG CHAMPIONS, RUDY & FRIENDS, THE RUDY IN YOU, and RUDY: MY STORY. He co-founded the RUDY FOUNDATION, whose mission is to strengthen communities by offering scholarships in education, sports, and the performing arts. The Rudy Foundation makes a positive impact by bringing people together. The Rudy Foundation develops and supports programs that positively impact the lives of children cognitively, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. The RUDY AWARDSTM Program was created by the Rudy Ruettiger Foundation to recognize children who make an outstanding, exceptional effort to do their personal best everyday, overcome obstacles, set goals, stay on track to reach their Dreams, and build the qualities of Character, Courage, Contribution, and Commitment into their lives everyday. The RUDY AWARDSTM is about a child's heart, will to change, and desire for self-improvement. Rudy has two awesome children: Jessica Noel Ruettiger and Daniel Joseph Ruettiger. Email: RudyInternational45@gmail.com Website: Rudy45.com Facebook: @RudyInternational Facebook: @RudyFoundation Twitter: @RUDYINT45 Twitter: @RudyFoundation Email list: Facebook.com/RudyInternational/app_141428856257

Summary & Ideas for Action Bo Burlingham is the author of Small Giants: Companies that Choose to Be Great Instead of Big, and co-authored with Jack Stack, The Great Game of Business, on open-book management. Bo says the question is how to accomplish business in a way that is highly productive, allows for the creation of great things, and enhances the lives of the people in the business, and those whom the business touches. Key Takeaways [2:51] Bo is not sure he's a thought leader, but he is a journalist. In 1982, writing at Fidelity Investments, he started learning about business; shortly after, he was invited to write for Inc. That was his introduction to the entrepreneurial economy, and to many of the leaders of companies that have since become household names. [7:11] Bo captures the essence of leadership and stewardship in his books. There is a theme of ownership, and engagement with the entire company. Bo starts with the essential concept of capitalist business: a group of people working together to create something that other people want to buy. [10:13] The question is how to accomplish business in a way that is highly productive, allows for the creation of great things, and enhances the lives of the people in the business, and those whom the business touches. A leader is someone who educates people on what they are doing together, and how they are creating value and making the world better. A leader helps people learn and grow. [13:04] Bo observes that great entrepreneurs live a life of value. Entrepreneurs are idealists and dreamers, and are driven to change the world for the better. The great entrepreneurs are primarily motivated by vision, not by gain. [20:09] A business gets to a certain size and complexity, and the numbers become very important. Entrepreneurs are generally not accountants, and they need to learn that aspect of business to see how the enterprise is creating value. This was the basis of The Great Game of Business, with Jack Stack. [24:40] There is a trend among young professionals to reject capitalism, while taking its benefits for granted. There is ignorance about how business works, while the media focuses on the problematic aspects of business. Business is a tool to use to meet your goals. [28:49] There has always been tension between the numbers side and the people side of business. Jack Stack said that's only a problem when the numbers are not in the hands of the people themselves. When the people know the numbers, it becomes a matter of figuring out together what to do to create a more successful business. [44:15] Be careful about choosing your employer. Website: BoBurlingham.com Website: Small Giants Community Conference: Gathering of Games Conference Twitter: @BoBurlingham Facebook: @BoBurlinghamAuthor LinkedIn: Bo Burlingham

Summary & Ideas for Action Jim Gilmore, best-selling author and co-founder of Strategic Horizons LLP, discusses his experiences, books, and the importance of mastering the various modes of observation to innovate and improve decision making. Key Takeaways [6:50] Jim explains how he came to write Look. After studying Edward De Bono, he had an insight into thoughts, actions, and observations, which inspired him about six looking glasses to represent modes of observation. [11:27] The six looking glasses are: Binoculars, for surveying and scanning, Bifocals, for comparing and contrasting views, Magnifying Glass for pinpointing the main point, Microscope, for scrutinizing the details, Rose-colored Glasses, for seeing potential, and Blindfold, for recalling all you have seen. Together they help people see more of what there is to be seen. Observation is separate from cognition. [24:40] Watching people in groups and in detail can reveal unseen patterns of behavior that lead to innovation and disruption. [26:00] When film was an expense, people framed their photos carefully. We lose our sense of framing by shooting carelessly. We take too many shots to curate. Study a scene carefully and limit yourself to framing one shot. Apply this deliberation to business decisions. Apply it to life. [37:31] The more skilled you are at observing with the first five glasses, the better you will be at recalling blindfolded what you saw. If you don't look well, you will recall poorly. The best glasses for a leader is to be skilled in using all of them. Particularly consider the bifocals. Pair opposites, and pair things as opposites. All innovation begins with observation. [45:44] Jim sat next to George Carlin on a cross-country flight in 2000. Jim learned how George Carlin worked and filed his observations. He said, everybody observes, but they don't know where to put the data. George Carlin maintained 2,500 directories where he recorded his daily observations and he knew each category. Come up with a number of categories of things you want to be consciously observing. Conference: thinkAbout Conference 2017 Website: StrategicHorizons.com YouTube: Youtube.com/Jim Gilmore Discusses Look Amazon: Look: A Practical Guide for Improving Your Observational Skills, by James H. Gilmore Linkedin: Jim Gilmore Email: Jim@StrategicHorizons.com Books Mentioned in this Episode Turn Signals Are the Facial Expressions of Automobiles, by Don Norman Bio Jim Gilmore coauthored the highly influential book, The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage (Harvard Business School Press). Now published in nineteen languages — and in an updated paperback edition — the book spawned worldwide interest in experience design, experiential marketing, and customer experience management. Jim's other book, Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want (Harvard Business Review Press), prompted TIME Magazine in a March 2008 cover story to name its insight on the subject as one of "Ten ideas that are changing the world." Jim is co-founder of Strategic Horizons LLP, based in Aurora, Ohio. He is a Batten fellow and adjunct lecturer at the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia, where he teaches a course on the Experience Economy. Gilmore is also a visiting lecturer in Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California, where he teaches a course on cultural Hermeneutics. He also teaches a design course at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an alumnus of Procter & Gamble, and, before co-founding Strategic Horizons LLP, was head of CSC Consulting's Process Innovation practice. Conference: thinkAbout Conference 2017 Website: StrategicHorizons.com YouTube: Youtube.com/Jim Gilmore Discusses Look Amazon: Look: A Practical Guide for Improving Your Observational Skills, by James H. Gilmore Linkedin: Jim Gilmore Email: Jim@StrategicHorizons.com

Summary & Ideas for Action Tim Cole, Founder, author of The Compass Solution, talks about his 37-year career in one company as a pharmaceutical executive, and he's sharing what he wish he had known early in his career! Key Takeaways [2:33] Tim worked at one company for 37 years. His book comes from his experiences through many corporate changes. He wrote the book as a compass and map to help people stay on track. Tim's career compass has four cardinal points. As he developed and followed these points along his journey, his career ascended. [8:05] Tim wrote his book for Millennials trying to find traction in their careers. As the book evolved, it became more focused on the majority of the workforce who are disenfranchised. He also addresses CEOs, on creating a culture where people want to be. In his book, Tim covers transformative leadership and transactional management and the difference between. [12:22] Transformative leaders create enduring impact that motivates, years later. Tim learned on the Crucible that adversity and discomfort can be wonderful, that depending on the team is everything, and that debriefing each day is powerful. [17:59] The larger the organization, the more there are delays in quality decision-making. Create a culture where you think like a small company. This happens when leaders embody two traits: first, they are responsive to market change, and second, they foster a culture that status quo is not good enough. [20:12] Influence does not come with a title, but by how you conduct yourself and treat others. Great companies focus on people and culture. When people want to be there, everything becomes easier. [29:21] Tim identifies five timeless leadership principles: having credibility, caring, being trustworthy, being committed to a vision of excellence, and helping to make people better. These are supported by asking the right questions to find what is important to the ones they lead. [37:00] Tim started his career working longer and harder than others, but learned later in his career to network, and build relationships. Tim's loyalty was earned by leaders and people around him who had values and philosophies that Tim believed, that carried him through the hard times. Website: TheCompassAlliance.com LinkedIn: Tim Cole Twitter: @officialtimcole Instagram: @officialtimcole

Summary & Ideas for Action Lessons from a 20-year Microsoft Executive Sherlaender "Lani" Phillips is a 20 year executive at Microsoft, and she describes mentoring techniques that create a growth mindset culture where people are valued, and accountable. She believe mentors hold people accountable to invest in themselves. She values authenticity, honesty and even difficult times as ways to inspire the team to bring their best every day. Key Takeaways [2:39] Lani was invited to join Microsoft after she gave a presentation about the Windows platform. [4:06] Mentorship is very valuable to Lani. It comes naturally, but she continues to invest a great deal of time developing her mentoring strengths. Lani constantly feels like a student, and a work in progress. [8:36] To hear the unheard, Lani has created listening forums in her organization. The People Team pulls from all teams and is facilitated by a manager sponsor. The team gives direct feedback to improve the experience within the culture. [9:49] Lani is clear about cultural values. [17:03] Adversity makes you stronger. Look for the lessons in the difficult times. As an African-American woman, joining Microsoft 20 years ago, there were not a lot of people who looked like her. She struggled, especially in seeking to transition from the technical area to the sales area. She considered leaving the company, but was able to clarify her conversation until she got the opportunity to transition. [21:30] Confidence comes from being prepared. Humility means being willing to receive feedback, and to take action from it. The environment must allow authenticity, vulnerability, and making mistakes. When it's time to show up, be prepared, and be confident. [24:27] Delegate authority around tough decision making. Managers need to foster dialog where the team arrives at the right solution, instead of telling them the right answer. When people ask Lani a question, she asks them questions that help them solve problems. Don't provide the answer. [27:40] Mentor leadership is part of the legacy Lani wants to leave behind. Lani comes to work as her authentic self, and leads by example. She wants to create an environment where more people feel like it's OK to be like Lani. You have to be collaborative from the get-go. Twitter: @phillipslani LinkedIn: Sherlaender "Lani" Phillips

Summary & Ideas for Action Lida Citroën, international reputation management and branding specialist, and CEO of LIDA360, shares her expertise on repairing reputations, and what to include and exclude from your personal brand. Your personal brand is the public extension of you. It represents the expectation of the experience people will get from you. She talks about the importance of protecting your reputation before you need to repair it. Key Takeaways The key question for personal branding is how do you want to live this life, what type of person do you want people to believe you are? What do you want to solve? Do you want to solve issues, do you want to solve things for your family? What problem or issue or concern are you passionate about solving? [9:12] In some cases, people don't need a new image, but they want awareness of how they got to their image, and how they can maintain it. [10:53] Personal branding is very simple, but not easy. Simple things matter — your LinkedIn profile, how you dress for meetings, and your body language and eye contact. [14:00] Reputation repair is a complex process. How much of the damage is emotional, and how much is financial and professional? In ten years will it have any effect on your business? Does it affect your core audience, or an external audience? Different circumstances require different approaches. You have to accept accountability. [19:20] Posting affects your reputation. When you share something, the person who shared it before you is irrelevant. If it is wrong, or insensitive, the offense attaches to you for sharing it. Social media is part of your reputation management strategy. [21:09] What do you want people to find about you on social media? Who do you want to find you? Social media is not about being flawless. It is about being consistent. Be relatable, human, and compelling to your target audience. Stay real. Your profile should be authentic, vulnerability and all. [23:17] Social media is for collaboration and networking. We form relationships, and create content, ideas, movements, and thoughts. Across all platforms, be consistent with who you are. [29:22] You set your own rules on social media. Social media is a marketing channel, not a place to unwind. [35:37] It can be healthy to observe what your competition is doing on social media. Sometimes you can identify opportunity. It can help identify your unique value proposition, and it can also lead to collaboration. [27:39] It does matter what others think of you. Reputation, or brand, is about an expectation of experience. If the expectation is shattered, the reputation is no longer trusted. Ensure expectations are met. Website: LIDA360.com Website: Reputation360Book.com Website: YourNextMissionBook.com Website: LIDA360.com/EngagingVeterans Facebook: LIDAthreesixty Twitter: @LIDA360 LinkedIn: Lida Citroën YouTube: Youtube.com/LIDA360

Nina Simons, co-founder of Bioneers and director of Everywoman's Leadership program, talks about her passion for leadership and the power of diversity. Nina exposes the biases that hinder us from realizing the full spectrum of human contribution. In all her work, Nina aims to reveal deep, insidious imbalances, or 'stories,' that underlie our leadership. Cultural values form biases within us. Revealing those biases can offer a greater array of leadership choices. Key Takeaways [3:12] "Cultivating Women's Leadership" workshop participants are selected from diverse women who are purposeful and motivated to effect change. They clarify their leadership motivation. They explore gifts of women's leadership and growing each other's leadership skills. "Regenerative Leadership" workshops are for all. Participants improve their effectiveness and ability to recharge and regenerate. [6:55] In all her work, Nina aims to reveal deep, insidious imbalances, or 'stories,' that underlie our leadership. Cultural values form biases within us. Revealing those biases can offer a greater array of leadership choices. [10:47] Nina's career has been informed by a passion for diversity — of agricultural seeds, of the ecology, and of society. Diversity is nature's safeguard against extinction. Bioneers involves 13 constituencies for global change. WDN involves women philanthropists to effect progressive change. Everywoman's Leadership features diverse women as leadership models. [17:41] Nina gives advice for leaders to build diverse teams. Cultivate a deep valuing of the multiplicity of ways that human beings show up. Recognize our own lenses and blinders, so we create a work environment that invites and includes all. [20:23] Nina worked at Bioneers with Dawna Markova, author of numerous leadership books, who said, "One of our most common mistakes as leaders is that we think that people who think like us are smart, and people who don't think like us are not." This taught Nina that Bioneers needed to draft people who did not all think alike, for a system that represents the whole of human capacities. [23:29] As leaders, one of our greatest assets is our vulnerability. Owning our mistakes cultivates us as learning organisms and organizations. We need diversity of mind, heart, spirit, and body. Nina says we all have masculine and feminine within us, and as leaders, we want to be able to pull from that spectrum traits that are needed at any given time. [26:06] Nina discusses the confidence gap between women and men. It starts when girls are trained not to boast, not to assert themselves, and to hold themselves back. Girls orient more toward service for other people. Boys tend to orient more toward achievement for themselves. We need many more role models of women in STEM and other technical fields. Self-assurance is needed. [29:29] The Iroquois Six Nations were inspirational to the suffragettes, as a culture where women's wisdom was valued. Women select Chiefs based on their observations of young boys' behaviors, seeing which of them are most attuned to the needs of the whole. The drafters of the Constitution drew upon elements of the Six Nations, but they did not adopt gender equality. [32:00] Moonrise features 38 women and 2 men. Common themes were leaders responding to internal motivation, not external authority. It was the work of their hearts spirits to respond. They led with their whole person; body, spirit and mind. Vulnerability was a strength. They were collaborative, using relational intelligence, modeling respect and dignity for all living things. [38:40] Nina notes leaders who inspired her: Terry Tempest Williams, who led her to imagine herself in multiple roles, Nalini Nadkarni, creating social innovation to save rainforest canopies, and Judy Wicks, co-founder of the business alliance for local-living communities. Website: Bioneers.org Look for the Bioneers Conference in October. Website: CultivatingWomensLeadership.org Website: WomenDonors.org Website: NinaSimons.com Facebook: Nina Simons Facebook: Bioneers.org Twitter: @ninabioneers LinkedIn: Nina Simons Bio Nina Simons, co-founder of Bioneers and director of its Everywoman's Leadership program, is a social entrepreneur passionate about reinventing leadership and restoring the feminine in us all. Nina's work currently focuses on writing, speaking, and teaching about women, leadership, diversity, nature, and systems thinking. Nina's career has spanned several decades and has traversed working within the corporate sector, and working within the nonprofit sector. Nina has a bird's-eye view around leadership and how it manifests in those different realms. Books Mentioned in this Episode Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly Moonrise: The Power of Women Leading from the Heart, Edited by Nina Simons Also mentioned on the show: http://www.ucodegirl.org/ourstory/

Summary & Ideas for Action Pilar Gerasimo, journalist, social explorer, podcaster and self-proclaimed healthy deviant, talks about the leadership benefits of good health. She explains the effects of the ultradian rhythm with periods of intense focus separated by periods of relaxation. She also cites recent research on high-intensity performers, how they recharge, and offers her favorite revolutionary ways to better health. Key Takeaways [4:04] A healthy deviant is above-average health, and making deliberate, healthy choices while sidestepping unhealthy norms. [6:10] Pilar notes research that good health supports leadership success. Healthy, happy people are more capable leaders, and more able to manage stress and challenges. It takes a significant amount of resilience to be a good leader, when stress climbs. [9:58] A major source of stress is having negative experiences, or unresolved conflicts, or friction with other people. Job satisfaction relates directly relationships with peers, and with bosses. Stress adds to your reactivity, which decreases ability to lead and manage teams. [11:15] Early philosophers and scientists used their time to observe how things are and how they work. In spite of progress in technology, things have not really changed since then. What works for people, still works. What degrades quality of life, or presence with other people, is still true. A return to the philosophies of old is a refreshing break from sensational 'listicles,' and soundbites lacking substance. [14:30] Pilar recently published a podcast episode of The Living Experiment, on attractiveness. She discusses the factors that contribute to attractiveness, and how attractiveness relates to promotability. Attractiveness is, in part, a reflection of health. Stress degrades health and attractiveness. [20:41] Pilar discusses the 101 Revolutionary Ways to be Healthy. Some favorites: #5 Repossess your health; #9 Safeguard your juju; Don't let yourself get run down, depressed, negative, or reactive; #68, and #89 slow down, and pace yourself. As people are rushing, they can lose sight of the fact that rushing is physiologically and mentally toxic. [27:06] After about 90 to 120 minutes of focused effort without a break, the neurological systems start to degrade, mistakes happen, accidents happen, creativity, productivity, and capacity break down, along with the immune response, and you are unable to use new information until you rest. [29:25] Ultradian rhythm breaks of 5, 10, or 20 minutes are recommended every 90 to 120 minutes. This keeps our focus fresh and inflammation down. This can be a walk, a nap, or other shift to low-focus activity. You produce energy resource adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during your break. You get an immediate pay-off. Come back to your project, and you see a solution quickly. You get more done. Website: PilarGerasimo.com Podcast: LivingExperiment.com Website: TheHealthyDeviant.com Facebook: Pilar Gerasimo Pinterest: PilarGerasimo Instagram: @PGerasimo Twitter: @PGerasimo LinkedIn: Pilar Gerasimo

Summary & Ideas for Action Kyle Lamb, President of Viking Tactics, talks about military and business leadership behaviors — what works and what doesn't — with entertaining stories along the way. His authentic conversation reflects lessons learned that he energetically shares with others. He tells how his entrepreneurial journey started on the family farm, continued through the military, and takes full form in his company, and in writing his books. His main focus is unflinching honesty when appraising team member and mission performance. He talks about his team-building training exercises, and how they are not for feeling good, but for learning to execute the mission with excellence. He uses humor, but keeps the serious moments completely serious. He stresses the importance of the debrief. He tells how his wife debriefed him after reading the final draft of his book, and made him improve it. Listen in to learn how mission skills apply to every endeavor, and in your organization. Key Takeaways [5:15] First, know your mission. In business, some people do not understand what the mission is. Teamwork starts with the mission. [16:05] Kyle talks about dads, needing to be there for their kids, and making sure they perform. Dads should have their children play in very competitive sports. People need to put forth 110%, and win. If you lose after your best effort, it is better than getting a participation trophy for little effort. [20:41] Kyle has always kept his sense of humor. He disrupted school with pranks. Kyle sees humor as a part of quick thinking. He points out sports heroes who have a great sense of humor. [28:24] Kyle explains that his team-building seminars teach you how to do your job. He uses the basics of gear, respecting the team, planning, execution, "hotwashing" (debriefing), and repeating with a different leader. Team-building helps weaker leaders grow stronger. Kyle recalls an interaction with a troop commander who needed to learn the value of the skills of his team. [33:18] Kyle is very serious during the hotwash. He asks, "Do you understand where I'm coming from with this shortcoming that you have?" If they say no, Kyle continues to explain it until they do. Be honest with people. If they bail, that is better then continuing with incompetence. Don't be mean, but honest. [37:07] Kyle puts mission over money. VTAC builds the best products for their customers. If you're about the mission, you're ultimately going to be successful. Kyle reminds his military friends that when they're out of the Army, they're no longer commandos, and no one cares what they did as commandos. They have the skillsets to be successful as civilian entrepreneurs, if they apply them to their new mission. [44:00] Kyle's his first two books trained him for writing his third book, Leadership in the Shadows: Special Operations Soldier. He was unimpressed with leadership books about clawing to the top. A friend offered to help him write a leadership book in return for three V-back T-shirts. So he did. Then his wife read it, and told him to re-write five chapters, this time with a positive attitude. [48:17] Kyle wanted a book to read in five-minute windows. It is a book for busy people. He was inspired by The Warrior Ethos, by Steven Pressfield, that can be read in bits. Kyle includes a hotwash at the end of chapters. LinkedIn: Kyle Lamb Facebook: Kyle Lamb Facebook: Viking Tactics Instagram: @vikingtactics YouTube: Viking Tactics Twitter: @VikingTactics Website: Vikingtactics.com Website: Leadership in the Shadows