Intentional Leader with Cal Walters

On this episode, Cal shares an impactful and replicable process he uses to reflect.  This is useful any time of year, but the New Year presents a natural time to reflect.   In less than 1 hour, you can turn experience into insights to grow and make progress in the New Year.  Check it out! On this episode, Cal discusses being inspired by Ray Dalio and Adam Grant to be more teachable.  Below are two resources on this topic: Principles by Ray Dalio Interview of Adam Grant by Tim Ferris 

Today, you will hear an interview I did with one of my best friends, Rajiv Srinivasan.  Rajiv is currently a Global Client Director at LinkedIn, where he manages a worldwide and multifunctional team supporting relationships for 3 of LinkedIn’s top 10 accounts.  Rajiv was on the Dean’s List at West Point and graduated in the Top 5% of his class in 2008. He also earned an MS in Applied Mathematics from Columbia University and will be graduating with his MBA from Wharton this May.  His amazing wife Chelsea is also a Wharton graduate. After graduating from West Point in 2008, Rajiv deployed to Afghanistan as a platoon leader.  In Afghanistan, Rajiv did over 300 combat patrols and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and received the Combat Action Badge.  Rajiv transitioned out of the military in 2013 and moved out to Silicon Valley.  Rajiv was part of the Founding Team at Morta Security, a cyber security company that was acquired by Palo Alto Networks in 2013.  After Morta was acquired, Rajiv became a Enterprise & SLED Account Manager at MobileIron. In 2016, Rajiv became a Global Account Manager at VMWare. Rajiv is also an Eagle Scout, avid snow skier (you’ll hear him talk about a scary incident he had in Lake Tahoe), musician (he plays guitar, ukulele, piano, and is a vocalist), he has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, has completed the NYC Marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, and the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.  He has been a contributor for the New York Times and TIME on military and veteran issues.  Rajiv is someone that has inspired me ever since we met at West Point in 2005.  In this interview, we discuss his love of books, how he has managed to read 76 books in 2019, his process of doing a digital declutter, and many of Rajiv’s favorite books, including a few surprising recommendations.  I really enjoyed this conversation, just like every conversation I have with Rajiv, and I think you will, too.  Below is a list of books and resources we discuss during this interview: Good Economics for Hard Times by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo Atomic Habits by James Clear (I also recommend subscribing to James Clear’s weekly newsletter here. It is short but packed with great information and no spam.) Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin (this is one of Rajiv’s top 3 recommended books!) Educated by Tara Westover Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance The Shortest Way Home by Pete Buttigieg Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow Grant by Ron Chernow (Here is a LinkedIn Article Rajiv created about this book) The House of Morgan by Ron Chernow Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo Give and Take by Adam Grant (This is one of Rajiv’s favorite books and it is currently high on my reading list.) How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan (This was a surprising recommendation by Rajiv. I obviously do not use or condone drug use, but Rajiv makes the point that reading this book really helped him understand a group of people he previously did not understand, which simply highlights the beauty and the power of books to give us understanding and empathy for other humans.) Although Rajiv intentionally says “no” to many digital platforms (how do you think he reads so much?), you can connect with Rajiv on LinkedIn here. He has also taken the #PlusOnePledge at LinkedIn. Rajiv also mentioned Gates Notes, which is a reading blog created by Bill Gates, and Goodreads. Rajiv uses these reading resources for inspiration and great book ideas.

On this episode, Cal dives into the exciting new science of positive psychology and gratitude.  Saying we should be more thankful is easy advice to give -- similar to saying we should live in the moment -- but for some reason it is harder to practice on a regular basis.   Cal explores some of the key obstacles to most of us practicing gratitude and offers two practical, yet powerful, ways that we can begin practicing gratitude (and reaping the benefits of it) today.   Join Cal on a 30 day commitment to the daily practice of gratitude!  

How is technology affecting your life?  Do you feel overwhelmed and exhausted by constant connectivity?  Have you ever felt the urge to check your phone when you're with people you love?  Have you felt that gut feeling after spending aimless minutes on your phone that you wish you had used your time more wisely?   If you have felt any of these feelings, you're not alone.   We have a collective problem with technology.   On this episode, Cal shares his own struggle with technology and explores the magnitude and causes of the problem.   More importantly, Cal offers practical solutions for regaining control of our digital tools to make them work for us. Let's collectively take a step back, discovery the beauty of a technology detox, and intentionally manage digital tools to make them tightly aligned with our deeply held values! Two books referenced during this episode: Deep Work by Cal Newport Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

Packed with great stories of overcoming adversity and incredible nuggets of wisdom and inspiration, this episode will not disappoint! Ryan Brence grew up playing big time Texas high school football.  He is the son of a very successful Texas high school football coach in Plano, TX, and he shares lessons he learned watching his dad lead a football team.   Ryan is a husband, father, West Point Graduate, former Army Football player, winner of the Black Lion Award, Army Ranger, and he currently works as a business development manager for TDIndustries in Dallas, TX.  TDIndustries teaches servant leadership and is a Fortune 100 Best Company to Work For: TDIndustries Awards. Ryan shares stories of overcoming adversity in football and Ranger School.  He shares practical ways in which he lives an intentional life, and he shares lessons he learned on servant leadership from his dad and his work at TDIndustries.     Ryan references the following book during the episode:  The Power of Consistency by Weldon Long

On this episode, Cal wraps up his servant leadership series by covering the last three principles of servant leadership -- that servant leaders:  1.  Invest in the personal growth of their team members;  2.  Build a culture of trust; and 3.  Inspire! Cal dives into practical steps of how to apply these principles to your leadership!   Cal references the following items in the podcast:  Simon Sinek TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmyZMtPVodo The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni: https://www.amazon.com/Advantage-Organizational-Everything-Business-Lencioni-ebook/dp/B006ORWT3Y Bain & Company study on inspirational leadership: https://www.bain.com/insights/how-leaders-inspire-cracking-the-code/

On this episode, Cal continues an exciting series on servant leadership!   Cal jumps right into the next three principles of servant leadership: 1.  Servant leaders care about the WHOLE person;  2.  Servant leaders are generous to their team; and 3.  Servant leaders listen. At the end of this episode, you will be more equipped to immediately apply servant leadership principles in your team, organization, or business! Please collaborate with Cal at calwalterspodcast@gmail.com.    

On this episode, Cal begins the substantive deep dive into servant leadership principles.  Over the course of this podcast series, Cal will explore 9 key principles to servant leadership.   On this episode, Cal explores the first three principles and provides illustrations and keys to applying them in your life: 1.  Servant leaders empower others; 2.  Servant leaders give credit; and 3.  Servant leaders take the blame.   At the end, Cal provides discussion questions to help you examine whether you are applying these to your leadership!   Keep growing and keep getting better!  When you do, everyone benefits!

On this episode, Cal introduces a topic he is very excited to discuss -- servant leadership.   Perhaps you generally like the sound of servant leadership but have yet to fully dive into the principles required to lead as a servant.  Or perhaps you're skeptical whether taking a "servant leadership" approach can really get the job done in your team, organization, or business.  Whatever your views are, please tune in to hear Cal set the ground work for this exciting "deep dive" into this incredible philosophy of leadership.  I think you and your team will benefit!

On this episode, Cal shares a story from his days playing college football and contrasts that story with a NFL Hall of Fame player.  You never know when opportunities will come, so the preparation you do today makes all the difference.