IDL143 Season 3: The Rising Leader with Mark J. Silverman
Why does slowing down help you to sustainably and successfully speed up? How does truly caring for others bring acute success to your business? Is your word strong?
Thanks for joining us! Today, I’m speaking with Mark Silverman, an accomplished career salesman, author, and podcast host. Our conversation centers on evolving leadership; and how leadership has evolved and changed across generations. Mark discusses how he’s had to pivot and grow to become a better, more authentic leader and we also reflect on the significance of accountable communication.
Meet Mark J. Silverman
Mark J. Silverman came to coaching and speaking after a successful career in technology, where he generated over $90,000,000 in sales for fast growing startups by brining together executives, technical leaders and stakeholders to close complex multimillion dollar sales.
Mark is no stranger to overcoming adversity and mastering this own overwhelm. When he was 27, he was homeless, 135lbs and living in his truck. By the time he was 33, he was a millionaire. Mark is on a mission to take the lessons learned along the way, paired with his business acumen, to help others define and achieve their own success.
Mark is the author of Only 10s 2.0 - Confront Your To-Do List, Transform Your Life, which has sold over 75,000 copies to date. He is the host of "The Rising Leader Podcast" and is currently working on his third book, "The Rising Leader Handbook.
Visit Mark Silverman’s website and connect on Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:
The importance of slowing down - 02:30
Doing less allows you to do more - 06:01
Leadership transition for Gen X - 15:20
Communicate rather than dictate - 25:46
True care brings true success - 31:28
The power of your word - 32:55
The importance of slowing down
“We cannot be at peak performance when we’re trying to fill our plate to the max. It’s just not possible. ”
If you are constantly running at a thousand miles per hour, you cannot be at your peak performance either.
At some point, you’re going to end up sacrificing your health or your success, and end up burned out or failing, or both. You may also begin to lose sight of your goals when you never stop to assess in which direction you are headed.
“You’re working really hard, but are you working on the right things? You’re working really hard, are you seeing opportunities [or are they] just walking right by you?”
All real leaders encourage people to take a breath, to get grounded, and to get centered because only then are you truly able to see and choose the right path before you, and the right decision to take.
Doing less allows you to do more
“What I found when I had one, two, or three things to do a day [is that] all of a sudden intuition showed up. All of a sudden, ideas showed up [because] there was room to breathe. All of a sudden I did better work on the things that I was doing, and I remembered to follow up on opportunities that I had.”
When you have a limited amount of things to do each day, and it is a self-imposed limit, and you know that it is entirely doable (and not overly ambitious) then you may start to find that once you finish them, you have more time on your hands to get to other things.
If you overload yourself and your day with a hundred different things, you will probably end up stressed, distracted, and complete work at a lower level.
Instead, give yourself five to ten things to do a day, and commit to getting them done. Once you finish them, and there’s more time left in the work day, then tackle something else - but then and only then.
Leadership transition for Gen X
Mark often works with leaders in his age group, those between 50 and 60, and facilitates work that allows leaders to remain up-to-date and connected with their current employees who may be more open to remote and digital work than they are.
“We have to re-educate ourselves, and I was really pleased to see that people who were engaged in the conversation were saying that, “We have to understand that the people who are 30 … Grew up with phones in their hands, grew up texting, and grew up connecting in a different way than we did.”.”
After COVID, and generally in the present modern world, there has to be a transition in leadership styles because there has been a transition in how the working world works. Leaders need to be up-to-date and open to learning how to work with the new workforce generations. Both groups need to be open and receptive to one another, but it also has to come from the leaders, no matter their age.
Communicate rather than dictate
“When you dictate, people don’t stick around for very long, but when you invite people and when you give them options and say, “Hey, let’s make this work” because … connection is essential. ”
You cannot get people to do well and want to do well without having a connection with them first. It is impossible for you to create a strong foundation within your business if you don’t create a safe and supportive environment for everyone involved.
This environment also does not need to only be in person. You can instill these types of practices in your business virtually as well.
The key is that you practice vulnerability and accountability so that you can truly communicate with your people because when you dictate to them, you risk losing them.
True care brings true success
When you communicate effectively and with the intention of getting to know the people around you, they will respond differently to you.
“If leaders can focus on that … people will blow you away by their performance and their dedication because they know you care. I’m convinced of it. ”
By caring for your employees, clients, and coworkers, you immediately begin to create a type of environment where people feel respected, seen, and valued, and so they create work that they themselves feel proud of.
They themselves will begin to push further, try harder, and do better because they know that they are accepted and supported.
- Lead up and become a trusted advisor
- Lead across a strong group of peers
- Lead your team
- Lead yourself
“It’s all relationship. In order to become a trusted advisor, you have to gain the trust of somebody who everyone is coming at all the time. You have to be able to speak the truth to them … You have to show them that you care.”
The power of your word
One of the most dangerous and damaging things that you can say is; “Nobody will know”. If you abuse your words, you will slowly break both people’s belief and trust in you, as well as your integrity and trust in yourself.
“If you’re not keeping your word to yourself - you create with your word - how are you going to hold other people accountable? How are you going to trust yourself out in the world? So, it’s all [about] relationships: with others and ourselves with our word. ”
A shortcut to leadership is to tell the truth:
- Give feedback
- Share praise
- Have tough conversations
Resources, books, and links mentioned in this episode:
BOOK | Mark J. Silverman - Only 10s 2.0: Confront Your To-Do List and Transform Your Life
BOOK | Mark J. Silverman - The Rising Leader Handbook: Turning High Achievers into Effective Leaders
BOOK | Sun Tzu - The Art of War
BOOK | Kim Scott - Radical Candor: Fully Revised & Updated Edition: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity
Visit Mark Silverman’s website and connect on Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
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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.
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