IDL02 Season 1: Snippets of Greatness
I am sharing snippets of 6 previous interviews I did with some phenomenal authors about their books and how it has impacted my life.
This will give you a taste of what it's like to listen to me, so I really hope you enjoy these conversations I have with some of the greatest minds and authors!
In this episode:
Ryan Hawk - Listen to the full interview
Jon Gordon - Listen to the full interview
Bob Burg - Listen to the full interview
Brad Lomenick - Listen to the full interview here and here
Todd Gongwer - Listen to the full interview
Don Yaeger - Listen to the full interview
Resources, books, and links mentioned in this episode:
BOOK | Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
H3 Leadership Podcast with Brad Lomenick
The John Maxwell Leadership Foundation
Join the Impact Driven Leader Community
About the Impact Driven Leader Podcast
The Impact Driven Leader Podcast, hosted by Tyler Dickerhoof, is for Xillennial leaders who have felt alone and ill-equipped to lead in today's world. Through inspiring interviews with authors from around the world, Tyler uncovers how unique leadership strengths can empower others to achieve so much more, with real impact.
Rate, review, and subscribe here on Apple Podcasts or subscribe on Stitcher and Spotify.
There's never been a better time to be defined by what you love, than right now.
Ryan Hawk
I tell people all the time, I still don't like to read....but I love to learn, so I read ALL the time.
Todd Gongwer
If I don't understand the value I have to bring to people, I can't possibly understand the value that they can get from me, and a lot of that has to come from inside of me.
Tyler Dickerhoof
Podcast Transcription
[TYLER DICKERHOOF]: Welcome to episode two of the Impact Driven Leader. This is your host, Tyler Dickerhoof. We started off the first episode, little appetizer. This is going to be the second course. So, what I have for you today is a compilation of six different interviews that I've done in the past. These are part of the Impact Maker Podcast that I hosted with my wife. And I got that up, this opportunity to speak to these authors and talk about their books and talk about the impact of my life. So, I'm excited to share this with you. This is kind of like I said, a second course, to get you ready for the third episode with Ryan Hawk and kind of as we go forward, what it's going to be like. I want to give you a taste of what it's like to listen to me. And this is going to be fun.
You're going to see, in these episodes with these different authors, I'm going to share a conversation with Ryan Hawk, John Gordon, Bob Burg, Brad Lomenick, Todd Gongwer, and Don Jaeger, some of the greatest minds and authors in their field, literally of leadership. I'm excited because a few of them will be guests later on, on this podcast. So, I'm excited for you guys to get new updated conversations with them, but also some really impactful information from these six people. You know, this was a place in life and this was recorded mostly in 2018, so it's a little old, but yet it's so fun for me to look back and see, "Oh my goodness," how I've grown and learned because of the seeds that were planted in these conversations. So, sit back, enjoy the next few minutes. And I can't wait for you guys to hear the upcoming new episodes.
You know, from that, as we kind of wrap up, and I thank you again so much for your time. And yet I want to keep this to where it's enough nuggets so people can have fun, enjoy, get some cool stories out of this. But if you were to say, "Hey, you know what, everything that I've seen and everyone that I've talked to," and, you know, you kind of mentioned that the coaches that you've had that were good and maybe the ones that you kind of mentor after, if the areas that you've seen leadership is most broken and, or what action item that you would love people to just take and focus on to better their leadership, what would that be?
[BRAD LOMENICK]: One thing that I found to be a commonality that I really think is important, especially now with some of the negativity out and about, and the divisiveness within our country is that I, a question that is asked sometimes is, "How do we handle this negativity? What do we do?" And I would say that there's never been a better time to be defined by what you love than right now. So many people are anti-stuff and I would argue we should all be pro stuff. So, express your passion for things that you love. Don't be defined by what you oppose. So, do things like send Thank You cards, tweet out Great Work by other people. Be uplifting. Don't be a complainer. Put out goodness in the world. Again, be somebody who is known to speak positively behind the backs of other people. So many people out there do the opposite, even good people, but be known as someone who is always speaking kindly and uplifting others behind their back, and certainly do it in front of them as well. But that is so rare, but if you do that, you could create these ripples out where others, then they like it, they smile.
And it creates goodness in the world. And I think that there's no better time than right now then to be defined by what you love. And those are some of the actions I think we all could do if we're intentional and thoughtful about it. And I have chosen to work to be that way. It is not a hundred percent of the time, but I try. And I also, it's advice I give to others because I think it'd be just be a more enjoyable place for all of us if we all were actively thinking that way.
[TYLER]: What did that instance teach you about earning people's trust in leadership?
[BRAD]: Well, like I said, I think you earn it through your work. I don't think you earn it through your word. It's like being a parent. You know, your kids, they really watch what you do and they'll probably follow what you do far more than what you say. And the same is true trying to lead a team as a quarterback. At some points, you certainly have to speak up and you have to be willing to coach. And you obviously do walk in the huddle and call the play and you do that. And that's part of the job, but where you really earn respect is in the wait room and the film room, on the practice field. And you don't have to say a lot to earn respect in any of those places. So, for me, it really taught me, especially when you're new as well, when you're new somewhere, let's say you're a manager taking over a team and you're going to a new company, or it's a new job, you can earn a lot of respect through your work, through your preparation.
That's why I very appreciative it when people are prepared, just like you knew that story when most podcasts I go on, they don't. And so, I think that shows a level of respect that you've earned for me already. And the level of respect you've shown me that I appreciate that. So, just little things like that can make a big difference.
[TYLER]: In the desire to serve, which I get so much from John, and just, you know, speaking belief. And I imagine he spoke a lot of belief in you, and that's what elevated you through that is that, you know, had someone believe, "Hey, you can do this." How important is that for a leader?
[BRAD]: Well, it's huge. I mean, it's the fuel that you run on. And every great leader, I would say, especially when they start to look back and that means they're getting older, they probably have risen an influence, power hierarchy, they've gotten to sort of the top of the mountain. When they start looking back, they will say one of the greatest ways to see the value or the impact they've had is to say, who did I bring with me, compared to a lot of leaders who are so type of ambitious, which I love, but they get to the top of the mountain and nobody's with them. And they've accomplished everything, they've made all kinds of money, they've, you know, in the worldly standards, they would be hugely successful.
But John, I saw that in John. And John has been worldly successful, but he's also brought a lot of people with him. And he's actually not only brought them with him, but he has been given them opportunities beyond sort of their experience or wisdom, or know how. They're out kicking their coverage in a sense that they step in. Same for me. Like I stepped into a role, leading a simulcast event back in the early two thousands and I didn't know anything about anything, not much less about doing big simulcasts events. And that was just part of the culture of the organization was, "Hey, we got a bunch of young go-getters and we'll figure it out." And, you know, that's what I love about seeing again. John did that for us. Now I'm trying to do it for others. And that's the power of legacy, it's the power of transformation and it's the power of generational impact.
And that has to be part of our job description as leaders; is that, that we get more value and we see that when we let other people rise above us or go beyond us, that's actually one of the great signs of a good leader compared to that we're in charge and we're holding everybody back and everybody's there to serve us. You know, that doesn't last. It's a short run and your fuel burns out pretty quick.
[TYLER]: Who has, I guess I want to dive deeper into H3, the book you wrote, which is Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle., a book that I loved, a book that I'll say probably, you know, I shared this, I had a Todd Gongwer who read Lead . . . for God's Sake!. I had him as a guest and there, you know, his book, and then your book kind of were books that really got me closer to John. And, you know, I thank you for that. And I thank you for, you know, I love that the be humble, always hustle, stay hungry. That's something that is an embodiment of me, but I want you to share who as leaders in your life embodied those three elements and really displayed them for you.
[BRAD]: Oh, good question. I would say I saw it in my grandfather and, you know, that premise of the three H's was evident in him. I saw it in my dad too, but my grandfather, just from, you know, sort of that the patriarch of your family and, you know, he was a farmer you know, milk cows, which I know you have some.
[TYLER]: Yeah.
[BRAD]: Yeah, dairy farmer. I mean, that's hard work. I saw it obviously in John Maxwell, I saw it in my pastor growing up, my youth pastor. I saw it in a couple of leaders that really were impactful for me in my early twenties, and you know, I've seen it really at every stage of my leadership journey, I would say. And it's always been the mantra of that H3; is I've always tried to make sure that was my mantra. And, you know, when I was leading Cabos for a bunch of years, we'd always have interns hanging around, you know, they're 22 and they want to change the world and they would walk in and sort of say, whether they set it or not, they were saying, "Okay, just boil it all down, Brad. Like, how do I win here? How do I get ahead? How do I make sure I'm in first place as an intern?"
My answer was always be humble, stay hungry, always hustle. And if you'll do that as leader you are now in a place where you have opportunities, but it has to be all three of those. That's the key. You can't do one of them three, because then you're out of balance. And we all meet a lot of leaders who are great hustlers, but it's all about them. And then we also meet leaders who are incredibly humble, but they have no hustle. So, they understand there's a bigger story, but they don't do anything. They're not willing to work hard. So, it has to be balanced. All those, the three legs of those stools have to be the same height. Otherwise you're going to fall over.
[TYLER]: So, in Patrick Lencioni's book The Ideal Team Player, he dives into three areas as well, a little bit different, but yet humility is the same, hustling is the same, he has, you know, be people smart, which I think is staying hungry is like, it all fits, but I kind of really want to dive in humility piece. And that was kind of one of the focuses that I want to have today because, you know, going back to Baker, that's something that I've seen him, just, he wasn't a very humble kid last year. And he took his black eyes, he got his, you know, rubs on his chin and he had to really learn. And he had to really grow as a person. And I think if I look at my growth in leadership, it's a lot of my humility, but yet I also look at, in our world, humility is a very confusing topic.
[BRAD]: As I'm trying to explore it with her, she ultimately tells me the story of her daughter in fifth grade, looking her in the eye one day and saying, "When did Chevron become more important than me?" And you know when you hear somebody say that, then you know what, that's her mama, right? That's where, and that's our goal, right? I think our goal, if we want to understand somebody's story is to ask them enough questions that we get them to their moment when a life change happens and they are there for all of us. And so, when you ask enough questions and you get to that life change when you get to that moment, you get to their story. And when you get to their story, people understand who you are and that's when the world changes.
[TODD GONGWER]: The more you focus on what your team is doing right, the more they'll do those things right. If you go into halftime and you talk about everything that went wrong, the mistakes you did, you're not going to really go out there in a positive way. Now you do need to make some corrections, right. So, it's okay. What can we correct? What do we need to improve upon? What are our strengths? What are we doing right? How can we do more of those things right? And the key is really to just knock it down. A lot of times teams at halftime get negative. They get down, but if you stop it and stay positive, you give yourself more energy, more focus and a greater chance to have more success when you are positive.
[TYLER]: Sure. And I've lived that, I luckily have a very, very positive wife, and she imparts that on me. And I'm guessing you do as well as you've referenced. And you know, I see that in my life and the more I focus on it and not on hate the negative corrections when I need to do the more fun it is.
[TODD]: It's such a powerful way to do that when you genuinely, you know, just really take it upon yourself to go, I'm going to love people. I am going to love people. That's the most important thing I'm going to do if nothing else. Genuinely love them. It's powerful equally in the business world as it is in the sports world. No doubt.
[TYLER]: Okay. So, let's take a step back and let's come back to growing up in a family business, that evolution then into coaching, you know, where did this parable that you and your book Lead . . . for God's Sake! For people listening that haven't listened to the book, it's a parable of a coach, of a janitor, of a CEO that you kind of intertwined all of these different characteristics of leading and leading with a carrot, leading with a hammer, leading with your heart. So, where did that all come from in your own experience?
[TODD]: Well, I think you know, I always tell people it's, looking back, of course now I'm tremendously thankful for you , those equipping seasons in my life where God allowed me to be and really plays such an intricate role, I guess in the, you know, like not only the building a lot of those company things, but just in the inner workings of leadership in those different organizations and, you know, also on the basketball team. So, being able to see those things play out, being able to see the importance of team dynamics and leadership development, those things, all, you know, I really became passionate about leadership probably in the mid nineties. There was a time when I was in college and I hated to read. And by the time I was in the mid nineties and I was deep into both business and sports and seeing this, you know, the necessity of leadership and what was really in relation to everything we were doing, I began to study.
And so I tell people all the time, you know, I still don't like to read, but I love to learn. So, I read all the time and I went on a journey back then. I mean, my goal was to read 500 books on leadership. And so, I became obsessed with that, like about everything else I was involved in back when I was in my late twenties and early thirties. But all of those things put together really began to, I think, impress upon me the different principles that, you know, on top of that, that I felt like God was laying on my heart to share, that He was equipping me to understand. I could really understand the business aspect of how business leaders feel. And so you got that through the CEO and the challenges that he was facing. I really understand the coach because of the, you know, and as a dad, as a husband, I mean, obviously, and as an athlete.
So, all of those different workings in there, and people ask me all the time, "How did you get the janitor? Like, where did that, you know, who was your, and that's one of the, probably the most unusual answers to questions that I get. I feel like sometimes I feel bad about it because when I get, I almost always get asked that, and you may have had that down the road, "Hey, Todd, what's, you know, who was the, who was your, and I never really had one like that. And I don't know, sometimes I think that was my, one of the reasons God kind of laid down on my heart to share because there was a lot of times in my life where I really could have used that. And I had great, great parents that were tremendously influential, you know, great coach. That was a mentor to me to later on in life, but earlier I never really had a gel. And, but that again, you know, like I said, I feel like all those experiences kind of played into just the development of my heart in those concepts.
[BOB BURG]: But from there, I started really getting into personal development itself, you know, the self behind the true aspect of self, it's important, but it's certainly not, but it's the tip of the iceberg. Really is, you know, it's building yourself on the inside and the way you build yourself on the inside is by reading books and listening to, well, back then it was tapes because, you know, it was quite awhile ago. Now the CDs or going on YouTube and of course, knowing company conventions and functions and doing all the things to get around the people who are making things happen and just learning from those people who've come before you.
But so I was reading books such as Think and Grow Rich and How to Win Friends and Influence People and [crosstalk], and then I just started filling my head and filling my heart with all sorts of information that would build me.
[TYLER]: I got a question one at a time out. So, you're 24, you're struggling, you decide to pick up these books. Were you a reader before that or were you're like, "I just need help somewhere somehow."
[BOB]: Well, I was not a good student. The day I graduated high school, on graduation day right after the ceremony, I was walking off the field and the guidance counselor saw me and he said, "Burg, I can't believe I'm actually seeing you here today."
[TYLER]: Okay.
[BOB]: Now I know that doesn't sound like a very uplifting statement, but he was actually a very nice guy. And I know what he was talking about because I didn't believe I was seeing me there that day. Maybe he didn't need to say that, but I got it. And you know, he was right. I took a couple of years off before going to college because I just hated school, hated everything about it. And finally, I got into college into what was then North Adams State College. I got in on academic probation and I'm pretty sure I graduated on academic probation. I was not a student by nature, but I did read. I did like to read, but I liked to read what I liked to read. So, I was reading sports, books on sports and sports figures.
[TYLER]: What's your favorite sport?
[BOB]: Baseball has always really been close to my heart. So, when I was ready to start my real education, which was personal development and sales I was ready to go and that part came very easily to me to start to do it. I was just loving.
[TYLER]: So, I think that's awesome to hear, and as I relate this to the book, Go-Giver, which I shared with you before we got on I look back and when that came into my life, you know, five years ago you know, couple of years into network marketing after my previous experiences and other careers, and, you know, I've read some but never to the point that I've read now. And it was one of those books that was just kind of an aha moment for me. And it was really like, and I appreciate so much what you said in regards to liking sales, because it was fulfilling to add value to people. But the caveat that I think I've had to learn and grow through, and I see this in a lot of others that Kelly and I worked with over the years is that if I don't understand the value I have to bring to people, I can't possibly understand the value that they can get from me.
And a lot of that has to come from inside of me. And you mentioned that so dramatically, you not only learned the system of sales and, you know, it can be very systematic and what to say scripted wise. But if you don't work on yourself and be comfortable with who you are it's really hard to then influence. It's hard to add value.
[BOB]: There was a little boy about maybe two, two and a half years old toddler. And he was running around the restaurant when his parents called him back over to the table. He begins to walk toward them and as he did, he takes a spill on the floor, he slipped. You know, now he didn't hurt himself, you could tell, but you could also tell he was shocked. Okay. He was surprised he did not expect that to happen. So, the first thing he does of course, is he looks at the two people he trusts more than anyone else in the world, his mom and dad to get their interpretation of the event. Okay. Now I truly believe that had they gotten panicky and upset and run over and "No, are you okay? Oh, my poor baby," I think he would have probably started to cry, but what did is they handled it beautifully. They walked over quickly, but very calmly. They had, you know, they were very serene. They had a smile, they had smiles on their faces and all that. So, it looks like so much fun and they're applauding and they're laughing and, "Oh, can you show us how to do that?" And the little boy immediately began to laugh. Okay. What the parents did so wonderfully is they set a productive frame from which he could operate.
Now we can set this frame with anyone we meet. It could be as simple as a genuine smile on our face, the way we shake hands with someone, just our aura as we, you know, approach. That's not particularly difficult, but what about when we, let's say we're sitting down with someone who is kind of defensive and we've all had that happen. You know, this person they don't really know what this is, and they've heard this is so good, but they don't really know. And, you know, maybe you were referred by somebody else and yeah. They, but right, you know what I mean? So, there's a little defensiveness.
So, if you, that's their frame. It's a frame of defensiveness. It's a frame of distrust. It's sort of an antagonistic adversarial frame that they've set. Now, if you buy into that, then you're going to be defensive, you're going to kind of interrupt when they have objections, which you know, is never a good thing to do. It's going to be sort of push versus push. And nothing good is going to happen from that. So, what if, instead you reset the frame. What if, and let's say the person you're talking to is Mary and you just say, "Mary while we've been able to help a lot of people with this product whether or not it's the right answer for you, we simply can't know without exploring deeper and determining whether it meets your needs." So, please know our conversation is for both of us to discover that. And if it does great, if not, that's okay too.
[TYLER]: All right. Was that not fun? I mean, it was fun for me. It was fun for me to go back and listen to those, to take mental notes. I hope you took some notes and, you know, really with my intention of the Impact Driven Leader book club and podcast is to share some great conversation with you, share some great conversations that probably you wouldn't hear anywhere else with these authors. You know, we're going to get nitty and gritty. And again, as I look back and as you guys just listen, man, that's the stuff that made me who I'm growing into be. I'm not there yet. And I want you to join in this journey. So, go to impactdrivenleaderpodcast.com. Again, impactdrivenleaderpodcast.com. I can't even spit it out, but that's all right.
Go there. Sign up to be a part of the book club. Sign up to get deeper conversations with some of those authors. Maybe I might invite them back as part of the group, not as part of the podcast, but part of the group for them to share where they're at in life. And, you know, as Brad talked about as getting vulnerable is, you know, being the leader of today and it's something I've taken so much from Brad. In the book club, you'll hear more from Brad. I can guarantee it, something that he has done as a friend to shape my life and I know this, he can be your friend, too. You should listen to his podcasts, H3 Leadership Podcast. It's phenomenal podcast. And I'm reminded back about how valuable people like he are in my life. The Ryan Hawk, he is my life. The Don Jaeger, he is my life. The John Gordon, he is my life.
And guess what you get to hear from these two. So, I'm so excited for you to listen and learn deeper than you never learned before, and really kind of play out this authenticity and vulnerability. That's the key piece that I've had to learn as Brad talked about humility and insecurity. Man, I've had to come to grips with that. And as I've gotten a hold of my insecurity, man, I know as people have told me, I'm a being humble. I don't know, but people have told me how much more of an encouraging, authentic person I am to be around. And I'm thankful for that. And I know you can have that too, because I've learned that with others. And I want you to learn that with me and others too. So, again, go to impactdrivenleaderpodcast.com. You'll be able to join into the book club. You'll get more information, more show notes, more all those fun things and go back and listen to these full episodes. I'll make them available so you can dig into them, get the full conversation because I want to provide that for you.
So, thanks again. And just a reminder, all the proceeds, every dollar that is collected from the Impact Driven Leader book club is going to go to the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation. I'd love to share with you about ... I got a little tongue tied there. It happens, but this is me being authentic. The John Maxwell Leadership, Foundation is all about teaching values. You know, John's going to be our guest in the future. Maybe you've listened to a compilation of episodes. You've heard him. Something that really made a big difference in my life is the values-based transformation theory. And that's really something that John brought in that's coming into our culture is we're in a day and age where we need to understand and see values for what they are. And if we can be catalyst to be able to teach those values, that's what the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation is all about.
And I'm so proud to partner with them and I want to make that available to you too. So, that's where all the proceeds from this book club are going. It's not coming to me, it's going there because I know that's what's going to make a difference in our world. That's what making an impact is about. It's about doing things beyond yourself. So, again, thank you for this time of listening. Hopefully you enjoy today's episode. Can't wait for you to hear the next episode. My interview with Ryan Hawk.
