The Kevin Miller Podcast

#932: Look at all the people you follow and let influence you. They are known for something specific, but so often in our business and personal pursuits, we miss this point. It doesn’t mean that thing is all you can offer, but it gives people a needed reference point if you’re to stand out from the crowd at all. Examples from guests on my podcasts: - Dave Ramsey is known for guidance to financial peace and health - James Clear for developing good Habits - Dan Miller, for finding work you love - Pete Vargas, for mastering and leveraging the stage - John O’Leary, for overcoming adversity I asked the Ziglar audience, “Vocationally, what area(s) of expertise would you like to be known for?” It is a powerful exercise and Tom Ziglar and I read through comments and discussed this important topic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#931: In this episode I’m joined by Monty Moran, former Co-CEO of Chipotle. He joined them when they had 8 stores and left after there were over 2,500 and their valuation grew from a few million to $23 billion over his decade with the company. What is interesting is what he cites as the key to the success, and it came from one-on-one conversations with employees, and connecting the company mission, to theirs. He did this 20,000 times. It sounds altruistic, but look at Chipotle’s ridiculous success. In our businesses we are told to have a mission. A “why” as Simon Sinek teaches. Then communicate it to the employees. But do they really care? They care about their personal mission, and that is what Monty connected to. And this is what we discuss in this episode. It’s the crux of his book, with one of my favorite titles ever, “Love Is Free, Guac Is Extra,” which, this is cool, go to Loveisfree.com and buy the book and he’ll write whatever you want in it and send it to you. Monty lives up in Boulder Colorado and a few weeks ago while I was in Leadville on a getaway, he flew over and we had a 3.5 hour breakfast talking about ideas to change the world. He’s just a quality, enthusiastic, insightful guy and I’m so glad to bring his message to you right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#930: Even with the best intent we often find ourselves “telling and selling” to influence others. Whether it's to get someone interested in our product or service, trying to express our opinion and perspective on social media, or striving to get employees, coworkers, or our kids to do something. We convince and convince and convince and get frustrated with our lack of influence. In this episode I play a clip from Zig Ziglar where he schools us on giving up the convincing and instead, persuading. And how do you best persuade? By asking questions that help the listener lead themselves to the desired conclusion. This gives them ownership. I asked our audience, “What is a primary question you can ask people that lets them, and you, know if they are a relevant candidate for your product or service?” Tom Ziglar and I talk through the comments to further unveil the power of asking relevant questions to serve both you and whoever you are looking to...persuade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#929: I’m back with Jeff Brown who was with me in episode 927 to talk about the message of his podcast and book, both titled, “Read To Lead”, where our focus was the power of reading and specifically reading to learn, for our daily opportunity to learn and grow and increase our ability and opportunity. This is my habits episode and we talk and walk through Jeff’s daily habits for success. As you heard in the intro clip I lead the show off with, Jeff gave a big testimony to the power of mastermind groups in his life. Which is interesting timing. If you’ll venture to my newly revised website at kevinmiller.co you’ll see some new options to engage, one of which is, the Driven Counsel. A select, small group of people to achieve just what Jeff testified to. Encouragement, shared wisdom, accountability, and more. OK, next I give you Jeff Brown and his successful habits for life and work. Connect with Jeff at readtoleadbook.com and get the first chapter of the book for free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#928: In this clip from Zig, he surely does not negate making and having money. He was always outspoken about his joy of nice things. A nice house with a big pool, nice cars, nice clothes and vacations. But in this clip he balances those things with... if they came at the cost of his health or relationships, especially being a devoted father to his kids, he would have been a broken hearted man. But we do all need money, and are best served to have an abundance. Do we know what our financial goals are? I asked the Ziglar audience this question, “If your income tripled right now, what would change in your life and/or work?” I was fishing to find how many people felt lack of money was holding them back, and how motivated they are to make more money, and then the question is... at what cost? Again, not to diminish the pursuit of making money, at all. Just to be honest with what we might inadvertently sacrifice for its sake. We got a boat load of responses and categorized them, and next Tom Ziglar and I talk through the results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#927: Voracious reading is going to benefit you by exposure alone. But ultimately the point, or at least the opportunity, is to learn. We all have the access, every day, to life changing books where we can learn from the life lessons and wisdom of the world’s most successful people. Reading however is not by proxy learning and growing. We can read and not ingest. And are we reading the information relevant for us? Harry S. Truman famously said, “'Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” Jeff Brown has made this his focus. To study reading and while it can be the most powerful tool in our life-growth arsenal, it’s not as simple as just exposure to words on a page. So he takes us through the details and nuances of reading to showcase what actually fosters true digestion of the messages and them taking root in a way that incites us to action and the real change we want. Jeff has a podcast called Read to Lead he started in 2013 where he’s interviewed nearly 400 of the world’s most successful and inspiring authors. From the massive insight these interviews provide him, and his own reading of a book a week over the past 10 years, he’s just published his first book, amply titled, Read To Lead. In this episode we break down the root issues around not just reading, but reading to learn, grow, and find the success and fulfillment we desire. Connect with Jeff at readtoleadbook.com and get the first chapter of the book for free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#926: The only thing that makes us any different throughout our lives is the new information we are exposed to and whether it inspires us to take action on it. In this episode I share a story from Zig Ziglar about a very mediocre guy who literally, accidentally stumbled upon a personal development resource that then led to a radical, fairytale life change. From this I asked Ziglar listeners, “If you’ve gone from, “not much”, to a place you are proud of, what gave you hope and belief you could do it?” Incredible sharings from the audience. If you want to join these discussions just find and friend me on facebook at agentkmiller. Stay tuned and Tom Ziglar and I will read through listener comments and showcase the primary catalysts that result in us actually changing our lives for the better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#925: I’m back with Stephen Scoggins, whose rags to riches story I shared in episode 923, and this time we are talking through his personal habits. He shares a lot of heartfelt lessons that resulted in habits which pulled him from homelessness to $100 million dollar businesses, such as the clip I led off with in the intro. You’ll hear multiple concepts on habits that will give you ideas for yourself. Such as, Steven strives to address all the spokes of his life during a given day, but he gives proactive focus to one specific spoke. That concept alone was worth the episode, but there was far more that grabbed my attention. You can connect with Stepghen at StephenScoggins.com and check out his Transform U event coming up Oct. 21-23. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#924: Whose work is better today than it was pre COVID? And why? This is the question I posed to our audience. Tom Ziglar and I talked through the comments and of interest you’ll hear, what business did well, and why. Of more importance however you’ll hear Tom talk about what the uncertainty of the past 18 months has done for businesses and how we must all respond, across the board, as with things shaping up as they are, the uncertainty of the marketplace looks to continue. Shoring up our businesses to successfully weather uncertain times is simply wise and we spend a lot of this episode discussing ways to do so. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#923: Stephen Scoggins has a great story of rags to riches that you're about to hear. He had a humble beginning in construction. He was given a chance by a mentor and turned it into success and money at age 21. Then he squandered it all. He betrayed trust. He ended up homeless and almost took his life. He asked his mentor for a second chance, and it was given. Stephen credits his mentor for saving his life with two pieces of advice, which he took and built businesses with over $100 million in revenue. This episode is not about how he built his businesses but what he became personally that enabled him too. The key for me that we led off with was this; we don't need to hit rock bottom and react to the pain. We just need an awakening moment. Find him at StephenScoggins.com and check out his Transform U event coming up Oct. 21-23. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices