No Neutral Moments

In this eye-opening interview, join us as we dive into the grim realities of human trafficking with the insightful Lisa Bownds, the driving force behind Reflection Ministries. Lisa shares her profound experiences and the critical work her organization is doing to combat this heinous crime. Lisa Bownds shares her invaluable insights on what constitutes genuine friendship, emphasizing the importance of standing by each other through life's highs and lows. Discover the power of vulnerability and transparency in building lasting bonds and the unexpected challenges that come along. Moreover, Lisa delves into her incredible journey with Reflection Ministries, a beacon of hope for those ensnared in the world of sex trafficking. She opens up about her personal struggles and the path that led her to dedicate her life to rescuing and rehabilitating victims. From detailing the alarming realities of trafficking to discussing the complexities of helping survivors, this video is a must-watch for anyone passionate about making a difference. If you're inspired by Lisa's story and want to learn more about how to support her cause, please visit Reflection Ministries' website or contact their office. Remember, every little bit helps in the fight against trafficking and in supporting those who have fallen victim to it. Learn about the role of technology in facilitating trafficking, the heartbreaking stories of victims, and how Reflection Ministries is making strides in providing safe havens and support for those affected. We urge you to support Lisa's mission in any way you can. For more information on how to help, please visit Reflection Ministries' website or contact their office. Let's join hands in this fight against trafficking and help give voice to the voiceless. https://www.reflectionministriestx.org Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to our channel for more impactful content like this. Together, let's raise awareness and ignite change.

In this episode, Patrick speaks to Enes Kanter Freedom, a professional basketball player and activist. Kanter discusses his experiences in the NBA, his activism for human rights, and his plans for the future. He shares memorable moments playing against well-known NBA superstars such as Kobe Bryant and others and delves into his efforts to raise awareness about the oppression faced by various groups in China. Kanter emphasizes the importance of standing up for values, even at great risk, and advocates for being aware of the origins of products made with slave labor and to avoid the complicity that comes with supporting such products. He also highlights his foundation, NS Kanter Freedom Foundation, focused on raising awareness and educating youth about human rights.

In this episode of the No Neutral Moments podcast, the host welcomes Joshua Norman, a former football player, to discuss his journey from high school to college football, his NFL career, and his post-football endeavors. During the interview, they discuss the rigorous process of being drafted by an NFL team, Norman's high school football career, his recruitment to colleges and ultimately choosing to attend the University of Oklahoma. They also delve into the early days of the football program under Coach Bob Stoops, including the intense training and expectations set by strength coach Jerry Schmidt that eventually led to their national championship win.Norman also shares his experience transitioning from running back to tight end and his struggles with injuries, bouncing around teams, and eventually deciding to focus on music ministry and a program called SOUL Mission that focuses on building players spiritually and mentally. They discuss the impact of the program on players and the importance of having support from coaches, administration, and nutrition staff.The interview also covers a book written by Josh called "From the Field to the Firm," which emphasizes the importance of leadership skills and the need to create a culture that values growth and performance. They discuss the importance of small meetings, face-to-face engagement, accountability, and the need to live in the present moment.Overall, the interview offers valuable insights into the world of football and the importance of building players' character off the field. It is a reminder that there are no neutral moments in life, and that success is achieved through hard work, dedication, and living in the present moment.

9. The best question a C-Suite can ask itself is “How does the competition kill us?” The problem is most C-suites don't have the balls to ask themselves that question and honestly answer it. Reason #1…it will show how their leadership has made them vulnerable and they are not sure they know how to fix it! (2) The answers will demand hard work and most people are trying to slow their churn rather than increase their churn – which will be where you find out who stays and who goes.I believe this is where coaching is at its best. I agree with Greenleaf when he asserts that a coach does not need to be a subject expert in the industry practice of those he consults and coaches. He needs to be able to view from a somewhat neutral position so as to have no bias filters and then have the ability to speak boldly into the blind spots.10. Perks and privilege are culture killers. It is amazing how much people pay attention to this stuff and they shouldn't have to.One of the great habits a successful leader can cultivate is to not look or appear successful…the Sam Walton story visiting stores.This is going to sound SO old school but I would encourage leaders to aggressively find ways to look normal and even do more for the “mid-level” than you do for yourself.Walk the furthest to the front door!11. Forgiveness and bitterness are still tough enemies of joy to fight back. But you have to. Great competition but not great grudges. Revenge will turn bitter eventually.12. The Five Core Needs are still the five core needs and you ignore them at your peril.13. Mind Styles still works. 

5. The church as I knew it will not be the church as we knew it in the years ahead. I'm wondering what this will look like while at the same time being more and more certain that this new church will be visible in the marketplace more than the traditional sacred space6. DEI and ESG are the proof of the right thing being ignored by the best business minds so the worst business minds (government) hi-jack the right thing and turn it into the wrong thing. The turning of the tide on this matter back to the better leadership of business will be a long, hard slog as radical elements (on both sides) have taken the issue and run with it with their viewpoints.Just like my COVID experiences this is “leadership fulcrum” issue…the conversation is dominated by extreme actions and reactions. It is up to the best leaders to see beyond the smoke and haze and chart a path that best benefits humanity – capitalism at it's best.7. The politics of social media and sound-bites is killing us; and will kill us if we do not find ourselves into a renaissance of thinking leaders who think long and hard before typing, texting and posting. Great thinkers and thought leaders will emerge (I hope); but cutting through the noise will be hard.8. The extremes are islands of safety where an absence of critical thinking takes place. It takes a brave new group to get off the islands and see what is in the ocean of opportunity and challenge.I have a PLS friend who has quite the social media presence who says, “Stay in the deep end.” Not sure all he means by it but this is true. The shallow end has a lot of noise and a lot of people but the real adventure is in the deep end – and most of life is played in the shallows where so many actually believe they are really deep when they just stick their head underwater.We need a lot more responding instead of reacting. That means we need thinkers and meditators. Critical, long term thinkers who take very few things at first glance or first blush. This will border on cynicism and negativism but it is really a matter of staying in the deep end and seeking to understand.

Lessons 1–4The circle of trust is still a small circle and you'd better have one! You can have thousands of friends but the circle of trust is rarely found in the large group who “like” you. This is the Covey idea of circle of concern and circle of influence. Where we spend out time and with whom we spend our time. One of the key disciplines in this space is you must be constantly self-evaluating and correcting. This is not a process that stops – it's ongoing.The pyramid of performance is a real thing…still!Profit is good but you had better pay much closer attention to the holistic equipping of people or they will dump you. It is no longer about work/life balance…it's the whole thing or its nothing – except for the 60%! People are looking for something soulish in all that they do…the marketplace is the perfect place for this search to find an answer. The employee has changed and is not going back to being a cog in the machine (even if they are a cog in the machine!). People and organizations have changed. Don't fight it and don't give into it…seek to understand how it is manifesting itself around you and be proactive in creating the best atmosphere possible in your “game”.

Check out the full episode: Broken Catholic podcast with Joseph Warren (October 29, 2022)

Today's episode is brought to you by Admarc:The foundation of a product or company is its logo. Along with your brand identity it shapes how people define your company. For over three decades Admarc has designed logos for companies small and large across the Permian Basin and the country. After all, your identity is by design.Visit Admarc online at admarc.com or email Darrell, darrell@admarc.comToday's episode is brought to you by Luchini & Mertz Land Surveying Co., a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees—all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science, and process of land surveying. In business since 1952, Luchini & Mertz is known for their dedication to clients and their customer service. Contact Bobby Burkholder for your surveying needs: bobbyb@luchinimertz.com

Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Earley, Zondervan, 2021The Loudest Roar: Living in the Unshakable Victory of Christ by Judy Dunagan, Moody, 2022Everyday Prayers: 365 Days to a Gospel-Centered Faith by Scotty Smith, Baker Books, 2011 (A game-changer for me!)Praying Through the Names of God by Tony Evans, Harvest House 2014 (a reread/skim this regularly)Celebrate Kids, Inc.

What I'm ReadingNote: currently pressing into the idea of reading deeply rather than reading for volumeThe Score Takes Care of Itself, by Bill Walsh and Steve JamisonTalking to GOATS, by Jim GrayThe Order of Time, by Carlo RovelliParty Like a Rockstar, by JT Harding | audiobook, narrated by the authorSurfing the Edge of Chaos, by Richard Pascale, Mark Milleman, and Linda Gioja | read part 3 and 4, then go back to 1 & 2, then 3 & 4 againThe Fifth Discipline, by Peter M. SengeSpiritual Leadership, by J. Oswald SandersWhat Has Been Occupying My Mind:The search for the radical middle in every situation; every conversation is so extreme and radical to the right or to the leftas I'm looking for the radical middle, I'm very concerned with the speed that information is coming at us through so many channels (not necessarily facts, just information)Social media is fast becoming a net loser as opposed to a net gain—not everything, but it's cheapening our dialogue; our search for truth is fast becoming an environment of sound bites and half truthsThere's no such thing as an unsacred space or an unsacred moment, but people who behave in unsacred ways in moments we occupy are what desecrates the space. What makes spaces unsacred are people.

What I'm reading:Surfing the Edge of Chaos, by Richard Pascale, Mark Milleman, and Linda GiojaThe Path of Least Resistance, by Robert FritzHarvard Business Review articles:June 1, 2022 | What Leadership Development Should Look Like in the Hybrid EraIt's all sacred because humanity is at the center. And when humanity is involved a space becomes sacred—unless people are acting in an unsacred way.Culture is a consensus of acted upon values within an organization. The actual values of an organization can be discerned by observing what behaviors and practices are honored and which ones are shamed.We all know what it's like to be in an environment where values are trumpeted but the actual culture is different.Ask yourself: What do we actually honor? What do we shame? What do we say we value and what do we actually value?There's a severe disconnect that our businesses often face. Your employees are the ones who see it.

Today's episode is brought to you by Luchini & Mertz Land Surveying Co., a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees—all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science, and process of land surveying. In business since 1952, Luchini & Mertz is known for their dedication to clients and their customer service. Contact Bobby Burkholder for your surveying needs: bobbyb@luchinimertz.com What makes things sacred is the presence of people. Where people show up become sacred spaces.

Today's episode is brought to you by Admarc:The foundation of a product or company is its logo. Along with your brand identity it shapes how people define your company. For over three decades Admarc has designed logos for companies small and large across the Permian Basin and the country. After all, your identity is by design.Visit Admarc online at admarc.com or email Darrell, darrell@admarc.comToday's episode is brought to you by Luchini & Mertz Land Surveying Co., a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees—all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science, and process of land surveying. In business since 1952, Luchini & Mertz is known for their dedication to clients and their customer service. Contact Bobby Burkholder for your surveying needs: bobbyb@luchinimertz.comShow Notes:We cannot separate what has been typically the "secular" (the things you do outside of your religious practice/church life) and the "sacred". The dichotomy has led us to the cusp of a great awakening of the soul in business. There is a longing in the workforce for the soul of business to be as important as the profit of business. We are only as healthy as we are on the inside.It's very common for boards to come up with "values". Things like ethical practice and integrity are not valid values because the opposite is obviously not what your company is striving for. Those things are a given—not a stated value. Values are generally cheapened expressions of what is really the soul behind your company.There is not such thing as a sacred space without humanity in it. "Your doing always reflects your being." —Dr. Kathy KochThe management craze of the 80s-90s came out of the previous craze of working your fingers to the bone and businesses were trying to shift the marketplace.Galatians 5, the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-controlRobert Greenleaf's definition of love: unlimited liability

Today's episode is brought to you by Luchini & Mertz Land Surveying Co., a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees—all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science, and process of land surveying. In business since 1952, Luchini & Mertz is known for their dedication to clients and their customer service. Contact Bobby Burkholder for your surveying needs: bobbyb@luchinimertz.comToday's episode is also brought to you by Admarc:The foundation of a product or company is its logo. Along with your brand identity it shapes how people define your company. For over three decades Admarc has designed logos for companies small and large across the Permian Basin and the country. After all, your identity is by design.Visit Admarc online at admarc.com or email Darrell, darrell@admarc.comContact Reflections Ministries:info@reflectionministriestx.org432-247-1099Contact Reflections anonymouslyNational Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888Live Chat: humantraffickinghotline.org

Fu was born and raised in mainland China and was a student leader during the Tiananmen Square demonstrations for freedom and democracy in 1989. Fu taught English to Communist Party officials in Beijing for three years while simultaneously aiding the underground church network. He and his wife, Heidi, were imprisoned for two months for “illegal evangelism” in 1996. Bob and Heidi fled to the United States as religious refugees in 1997 and subsequently founded ChinaAid to bring international attention to China's gross human rights violations and to promote religious freedom and rule of law in China. ChinaAid, based in Midland, Texas, is an international Christian non-profit organization committed to promoting religious freedom, human rights, and rule of law in China.Living Lyrics: Poems from Prison

We make significant gains in certain areas of our life: personal, professional, fitness, hobbies, etc. We seem to have this wiring within us that when we get to a certain level, we sort of back away.Challenges to leveling up:Comfort: we like where we are and the price to be paid to level up is too great. Vast majority land here and will discover it when they are pressed to level up.Laziness: it is just too hard to requires too much of me – akin to comfortSuccess: been good where I am and sense that I can keep being good where I amFear: I might lose something or someone if I choose to level up…this can be true as some in your circle will not choose to pursue more and will not like what you are doingArrogance: why would I want to get better?Atrophy: a lot of muscle has been used to get to where you are and through a season of comfort (#1 above) the work and effort muscles have gotten a little soft from lack of use. Getting them back into competitive shape will take some timeYou have to decide what it means for you to pursue the best version of yourself in your given season of life, interests, passions, goals and pursuits. It must be a realistic assessment of where you are and where you want to go and in what categories. The key here is where you believe you want to go…not where others want you to go and where you think others want you to go but where you want to go and if you truly want to make the journey.Some closing advice:This whole process works best when in alignment with your most closely held values – never give up on the clarity of this part of your journeyPursue this process in “pencil”…you will self-edit and adjust through this process. Don't give yourself excuses but give yourself grace to learn and adjust – Example…running a marathon and having to deal with my achilles tendon.Keep the circle of knowing small…this does not need to be your social media journey but it should be a shared journey; accountability.Keep others in mind…Jim Collins is right when he says “Life is people”. It's true because it lines up with the greatest command to love God and love people. Leveling up is at its best when we keep in mind that to become all we are designed, called and gifted to be directly affects the lives of those around us. We are connected and others get the opportunity to grow when we choose to grow and vice versa.Just don't quit yourself.

Thanks to the team! Check out the people that help make this podcast happen and who have been big supporters of this podcast so far:Jessi Russo, The Maximized Lifestyle Podcast | listen on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and GoogleInstagram: @themaximizedlifestyleTyler Dodds, The Dodds MusicInstagram: @thedoddsmusic_Luchini & Mertz, a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees—all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science, and process of land surveying. In business since 1952, Luchini & Mertz is known for their dedication to clients and their customer service. Contact Bobby Burkholder for your surveying needs: bobbyb@luchinimertz.comAdmarc, The foundation of a product or company is its logo. Along with your brand identity it shapes how people define your company. For over three decades Admarc has designed logos for companies small and large across the Permian Basin and the country. After all, your identity is by design.Visit Admarc online at admarc.com or email Darrell, darrell@admarc.com9 Lessons from 2021:The extremes are dangerous and they are not always the same as convictions.People are not as thoughtful as they should be when it comes to individual liberty, the price paid for it, and how easily it can be eroded or taken away by people in power or by people who say they have your best interest in mind.The extremes all like to claim that God is on their side. Proceed with caution.Great leadership and great management are not the same. They are both a necessity based on purpose and timing.James Bond is dead and that's tough for those of us that were raised on Bond.The vast majority of us unconsciously try to find our way back to the path of least resistance or the one that feels most familiar, comfortable, and safe; this is extremely detrimental to your growth, your excellence, and greatness, but it's a very hard natural tendency to break. The willingness to fight through complacency and mediocrity is oftentimes confessed with full intentions but rarely actually accompanied with follow through.The circle of trust is small, and it is not so much getting smaller as it is getting tighter. It's ironic that we are the most connected generation but we have the least amount of community and the least amount of trust.The only things I control are my thoughts, my words, my actions, and my emotions.Living as a fulcrum is not the easiest position or the most popular to choose, but it is a place where I can foster and create synergy. Synergy: the combined effect is better than the effect of the separate.Reading Recommendations:Can't Hurt Me, by David Goggins (warning! language and content)Killers of the Flower Moon, by David GrannThe Fifth Discipline, by Peter SengeCountdown 1945, by Chris WallaceLeading Change, by John KotterGood to Great, by Jim Collins (see also How the Mighty Fall)Surfing the Edge of Chaos, by Richard Pascale, Mark Milleman, and Linda GiojaSpecifically for high school and college grads:Range, by David EpsteinJust Do Something, by Kevin DeYoungTalent is Overrated, by Geoff ColvinThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Steven R. Covey

Today's episode is brought to you by Admarc:The foundation of a product or company is its logo. Along with your brand identity it shapes how people define your company. For over three decades Admarc has designed logos for companies small and large across the Permian Basin and the country. After all, your identity is by design.Visit Admarc online at admarc.com or email Darrell, darrell@admarc.comToday's episode is also brought to you by Luchini & Mertz Land Surveying Co., a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees—all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science, and process of land surveying. In business since 1952, Luchini & Mertz is known for their dedication to clients and their customer service. Contact Bobby Burkholder for your surveying needs: bobbyb@luchinimertz.comInterested in advertising with us or have questions? Email us!Patrick: patrick@paytongroupllc.comJessi: jessi@paytongroupllc.com3 buzz words: Vision, Mission, and Culture and they are all dependent on each other (but not equally)Vision: the big whyMission: the big howCulture: the big whoVision is probably the least fluid but the hardest to quantify, and you might be able to feel the vision more than you can see it. Mission is the most fluid, but this is where we get locked down in the method. Culture is the most powerful. The culture that is created in the pursuit of the vision will often times determine if you make it through the mission of the organization."Culture catechizes [teaches] us what matters and what views we should take about and what matters. People who want to be connected to their tribe subject themselves to the catechesis all day long, every single day, hour after hour." Alan Jacobs, Baylor UniversityManagement manages the day-to-day, culture challenges the practices of the day-to-day, and leaders steps back to ask what is happening. Be observantly honest for a day.Culture: beliefs, forms, traits, characteristic features of everyday existence shared by a people of place or time, a set of shared attitudes or practicesNo matter you state as the outline of the vision or the mission, it's the culture—stated or unstated—that will determine if either the mission or vision has a chance at happening.What's the culture around you? Family, career, church? What are you seeing, what's being overlooked, what do you feel, what are the facial expressions? Will you admit it, and does something need to be done about it? 

Today's episode is brought to you by:The Energy City Race: This is the Permian Basin's largest road running event, and this year, the 5k, 10k, and Half Marathon event will be held on Saturday October 16th at the Fasken Oil and Ranch office park. The race is hosted by the Camron Stotts Foundation, an organization dedicated to carrying on Camron's spirit of charity in our community with his passion for service to others. The Stotts Foundation uses the proceeds from the race to make grants to local non-profits with a focus on single-mothers, displaced children, the homeless, and victims of human trafficking. You can sign up or learn more at www.energycityrace.com, and be sure to use the discount code NoNeutralRunners (all one word) to save 20% on your registration!Admarc: The foundation of a product or company is its logo. Along with your brand identity it shapes how people define your company. For over three decades Admarc has designed logos for companies small and large across the Permian Basin and the country. After all, your identity is by design.Visit Admarc online at admarc.com or email Darrell, darrell@admarc.comLuchini & Mertz Land Surveying Co., a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees—all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science, and process of land surveying. In business since 1952, Luchini & Mertz is known for their dedication to clients and their customer service. Contact Bobby Burkholder for your surveying needs: bobbyb@luchinimertz.com///Consensus is the lazy leader's excuse to avoid conflict and discussion. Consensus is used a lot in terms like "climate consensus" or "scientific consensus" and it's used to silence a debate or control a narrative. Most of us don't know that it's happening to us but we know that it's happening around us.Consensus: general agreement or a majority opinion"...consensus is how we bully people into pretending that there's nothing to see, move along, everyone." (Tim Ferris interview with Eric Weinstein, episode 131)Establish the habit of challenging that which has become the consensus in your life (personally, professionally, spiritually)7 Practices/Suggestions:Realize the validity of occasional consensusPay close attention to when you are operating by consensus and not by expectations, progress, and/or targetsGet in the habit of regularly questioning the way you do thingsIntentionally challenge everythingAs you're challenging consensus, avoid challenging peopleAvoid guarding/protecting/defending/blaming when you're challenging consensusAccept the fact that some things will change and some will not

Today's episode is brought to you by:The Energy City Race: This is the Permian Basin's largest road running event, and this year, the 5k, 10k, and Half Marathon event will be held on Saturday October 16that the Fasken Oil and Ranch office park. The race is hosted by the Camron Stotts Foundation, an organization dedicated to carrying on Camron's spirit of charity in our community with his passion for service to others. The Stotts Foundation uses the proceeds from the race to make grants to local non-profits with a focus on single-mothers, displaced children, the homeless, and victims of human trafficking. You can sign up or learn more at www.energycityrace.com, and be sure to use the discount code NoNeutralRunners (all one word) to save 20% on your registration!Admarc: The foundation of a product or company is its logo. Along with your brand identity it shapes how people define your company. For over three decades Admarc has designed logos for companies small and large across the Permian Basin and the country. After all, your identity is by design.Visit Admarc online at admarc.com or email Darrell, darrell@admarc.com Leaders start with an idea of what they want to be or become but they don't go back and revisit or revise. This is not really about setting goals (this is a secondary step).The Franklin planner I use.Value of Freedom and Opportunity: "I do whatever it is I can and must do to enable myself my family and others the opportunity to become and pursue all that God has designed, called, and gifted them be. I am committed to the tireless effort to remove obstacles that society and institutions erect in order to hold others back. I believe that the Lord is the final judge of what we can and cannot do, and it is not our place to make this call but rather to wholly trust in the Lord while at the same time offering every opportunity for others to live out a new life of freedom in Christ that chases after everything we are designed, called, and gifted to be." Verse references: Galatians 5, Ephesians 5, Romans 8Roles: follower of Jesus / family man (roles have expanded within this) / friend / learner / innovator, instigator, and agitator / giver and philanthropist

Today's episode is brought to you by... The Payton Group! Patrick started this company following his retirement from pastoring, he wanted to bring his experience and expertise to the business world of someone who could look at their business with a fresh set of eyes and tell them the truth. The Payton Group is a leader in concierge coaching, consulting, and even counseling to equip you to become your best 'you' to lead your team into their best future.If you're interested in what we do at The Payton Group, email us: patrick@paytongroupllc.com, or call/text: 432-230-2425This word is misunderstood or overused in most circles: purpose.Benjamin Franklin said there are three things that are very hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self."Of all the minds of treasure, one's own self is the last to be dug up." —Friedrich NietzchePurpose can become an unnecessary mystery. Your purpose, your company's purpose—it can often get lost in competing self-interests. We confuse purpose with desires and dreams, wants and ambitions. We confuse purpose with:What we deeply want to do or accomplishGain (and we confuse financial gain/loss with being on or off our 'purpose')Business ambitions and goalsBelieving there are multiple purposes in lifeThere's really only one purpose that should drive everything, and it's at the core of what we are designed, called, and gifted to be."Life's most persistent and urgent question is 'what are you doing for others?'." —Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."True greatness, true leadership is found in giving yourself to service to others. Not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you. True service is never without a cost. We must aim to put more into life than we take out." —J. Oswald Sanders"I experience more joy and discover more happiness in my life when I stop trying to get what I want and start helping others get what they need and want.""One of the outstanding ironies of history is the utter disregard of rank and title in the final judgment that men pass on each other. The final estimate of men shows that history cares not an iota for the rank of title a man has bore or the office he has held, but only the quality of his deeds and the character of his mind." —Samuel BrinkleExcerpt from Servant Leadership, by Robert GreenleafWe have taught people to manage instead of teaching them to lead and to serve.What am I ultimately after in my endeavors? The journey begins here.

Dr. Henry P. Barham | BioPhenomune.comPhenomune | Research ArticlesPublished article, May 2021, JAMA NetworkWashington Post article if you don't already have a login, you'll need to create a free account to read the article  

Interested in sponsorships with No Neutral Moments? Email us!patrick@paytongroupllc.comjessi@paytongroupllc.comSpiritual Leadership, by J. Oswald SandersLeaders are readers! Reading is critical to personal development.Chapter 13: The Leader and ReadingWhy should we read?We read to refill the wells of inspiration in our life. Bacon: "Read not to contradict or to confute, nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk in discourse. Read in order to weigh and consider." Read to think. To meditate. To be challenged. We read for the benefit of our soul/holistic benefit to ourselvesWe read for intellectual growthWe read to learn how to speak and write betterWe read to acquire new information to keep up and stay well informed in our field of expertiseWe read to have fellowship with great minds (discern and determine if what you're reading is from a great mind)A good book has great power. Sometimes we equate quantity of reading with quality of reading, and often times there are a smaller number of books that actually have great impact.What should we read?"If a man is known by the company he keeps, so also his character is reflected in the books he reads. A leader's reading is the outward expression of his inner aspirations. The vast number of titles pouring from presses today makes discriminating choice essential. We can afford to read only the best, only that which invigorates our mission. Our reading should be regulated by who we are and what we intend to accomplish." (p. 104).the Payton rule on biographies: avoid biographies of those who are alive; memoirs are a bit different, and biographies tend to lean towards wisdom and lessons (historical founders, founders of faith, classic biographies)How should we read?"Unless our reading includes serious thinking, it is wasted time." (p. 106)If it barely has your interest, don't waste your time. Don't read to forget.Use the same discrimination in choosing books as in choosing friends.Read with pencil and notebook in hand to take notes; examples: highlights on digital, writing in the margin, highlighting, utilizing other note taking options, like Evernote or other appsHave a 'commonplace book' to record what is striking, interesting, and worth of second thoughtVerify historical, scientific, and other dataLook up unknown wordsVary your reading to keep your mind out of a rut. Variety!Correlate your reading—history with poetry, biography with historical novel. Example: if reading history, find a person you find interesting during that period and read a biographyBand of Brothers, by Stephen Ambrose 

Today's episode is brought to you by Luchini & Mertz Land Surveying Co., a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees—all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science, and process of land surveying. In business since 1952, Luchini & Mertz is known for their dedication to clients and their customer service. Contact Bobby Burkholder for your surveying needs: bobbyb@luchinimertz.comWhat are your roles? Here are mine:Follower of JesusFamily man (husband, father, and now father-in-law, grandfather...)Friend (more than an acquaintance)Learner (know more in order to do more)Leader (engage deeply or not engage at all)Teacher/CommunicatorInnovator, Instigator, AgitatorVisionary (believe what I see and act on it; boldly believe)Competitor/AthleteGiver/PhilanthropistGoals are lined up with values and also with roles.5 Ways to Define Your RolesClarify and prioritize your roles.Live out your roles appropriately (roles should fit into your positions that you hold).Claim lost roles.Let go of some labels that you've allowed to settle in as roles.Be prepared to make changes to operate in your roles (pruning decisions; rarely about adding but typically about subtracting).Book recommendations for this episode:The Path of Least Resistance, by Robert FritzThe Highway to Leadership, by Margaret SlatteryWe would love to connect with you!Patrick: patrick@paytongroupllc.comJessi: jessi@paytongroupllc.com

Thank you to our sponsors for today's episode!Luchini & Mertz:Today's episode is brought to you by Luchini & Mertz Land Surveying Co., a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees—all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science, and process of land surveying. In business since 1952, Luchini & Mertz is known for their dedication to clients and their customer service. Contact Bobby Burkholder for your surveying needs: bobbyb@luchinimertz.comAdmarc:The foundation of a product or company is its logo. Along with your brand identity it shapes how people define your company. For over three decades Admarc has designed logos for companies small and large across the Permian Basin and the country. After all, your identity is by design.Visit Admarc online at admarc.com or email Darrell, darrell@admarc.comCan't Hurt Me, by David Goggins (warning! this book contains expletives and harsh language): "Are you willing to explore the possibilities of who you can truly become?"Look at the possibilities in your: Faith, Family, Friends, Finances, Fitness, Servant-LeadershipTwo groups: 1) non-competitive and softer and 2) competitive and fairly intenseThe Path of Least Resistance, by Robert FritzWe can intentionally push into what it takes for us to be better. To become better, we have to continually work towards being better and explore the possibilities of what we can truly become.As a coach and consultant, I am struck by the lack of intentionality to pursuing 'better', and there is a lack of intentionality to fighting what has become our status quo.Why is it so hard for us to press into becoming better?We don't plan for the exploration of possibilities, therefore, we are afraid of the exploration.We allow ourselves to become (or to be) constitutionally weak and afraid of challenge. It's much easier to settle than it is to be comfortable with drive.We believe it will distract us from the good that we already do.We think we are as good as we can get. The older we get (as people and companies), this is very easy to slip in to.We know how hard we worked to get to where we are, and we know how hard it will be to get to the next level. Our tendency is to get to a place where we are successful, and then we try to protect it.Are you willing to think about (and do something about) how much better you can be? Are you willing to create and recreate yourself to become what you're designed, called, and gifted to be? This takes effort.  This is not a motivational speech. This is just a gut-check. You don't get anywhere by motivation, you get there by determination.Good to Great, by Jim Collins

Thank you to our sponsors for today's episode!Luchini & Mertz:Today's episode is brought to you by Luchini & Mertz Land Surveying Co., a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees—all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science, and process of land surveying. In business since 1952, Luchini & Mertz is known for their dedication to clients and their customer service. Contact Bobby Burkholder for your surveying needs: bobbyb@luchinimertz.comAdmarc:The foundation of a product or company is its logo. Along with your brand identity it shapes how people define your company. For over three decades Admarc has designed logos for companies small and large across the Permian Basin and the country. After all, your identity is by design.Visit Admarc online at admarc.com or email Darrell, darrell@admarc.com---Don't go back as if nothing has happened, because something has happened to all of us. No one has been unchanged by this experience, whether personally or professionally.How we have been changed:Assumptions and judgments based on actions of othersA worldwide shutdown of all that is normal lifeGlobally affected for an extended period of timeFear-based livingFaith: who or what you put your trust inFamily: what have you discovered that you want to hang on to?Fitness: physical, mental, emotionalFriends: better, worse? Finances: what lessons have we learned? Drastic? Tragic?Servant Leadership: what you have learned about seeing and serving others? What is your capacity to care?Business: workplace, relationships in the workplace, discipline (or lack of) in the workplace; what about your employees? What are you going to change in order to leverage what you've learned during COVID?What are you going to appreciate more post-COVID?

Today's episode is brought to you by Admarc:The foundation of a product or company is its logo. Along with your brand identity it shapes how people define your company. For over three decades Admarc has designed logos for companies small and large across the Permian Basin and the country. After all, your identity is by design.Visit Admarc online at admarc.com or email Darrell, darrell@admarc.com Leadershift, by John Maxwell (nimble, adaptable, and flexible)1. ThinkIn the thinking process, we should always be reading as much as we can get our hands on. Read books about history so you can put things in historical context. Research, journal, discuss.2. PlanPlanning involves writing things down and objectifying what you're going to try to do. Planning involves what you're going to measure.3. Act Try it, test it, measure it, execute it. Get after it! Never commit to do everything but always commit to experiment with everything.4. AdjustYou have to do this with discipline, and adjustment has to go back around to thinking, planning, and acting. Sometimes you keep, sometimes you cancel. You always adjust so you can get to the objective.MindStyles, Dr. Anthony Gregorc (not a personality test or assessment but how you take in information and what you do with that information) / email Patrick (patrick@paytongroupllc) to find out more about MindStyles for your business.Reflection Ministries: website or contact: info@reflectionministriestx.org

Interested in sponsorship opportunities? Email patrick@paytongroupllc.com for more info and rates!Leadership In Turbulent Times, by Doris Kearns GoodwinThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Steven R. Covey"Leadership is influence; nothing more, nothing less." John Maxwell1. Value/Goodwin: Acknowledge when failed policies demand a change in direction.Covey: Shifting your paradigm*policies = efforts, strategies, plans2. Value/Goodwin: Gather firsthand information and then ask questions (as well as understanding the emotional needs of each member of the team). Set a standard of mutual respect and dignity. Be accessible and easy to approach.Covey: Seek first to understand before being understood. Practice win-win situations.3. Value/Goodwin: Find time and space to think.Covey: Sharpen the saw.4. Value/Goodwin: Exhaust the possibilities for compromise before imposing unilateral decisions/executive power.Covey: Working with a win-win mindset, seeking synergy, creative compromiseYou should know your people well enough to somewhat know their response before you bring things forward.Always shield your team/colleagues from blame.Go back to point 1; acknowledge if the policy has failed.5. Value/Goodwin: Refuse to let past resentments fester; transcend personal vendettas.Covey: Begin with the end in mind. You'll get where you going with people and not through people, and you set them free without holding grudges.6. Value/Goodwin: Maintain perspective in the face of both accolades and abuse.Know who you are, what you stand for, and where you're going.Where does your identity lie? Is it secure?Covey: Creating a personal vision of humility.Maintain perspective. Be cautious of social media exposure, and watch how you read and respond to emails.7. Value/Goodwin: Keep your word.Covey: Putting first things first.8. Value/Goodwin: Know when to hold back, and know when to move forward.Covey: Begin with the end in mind. Think win-win.In moving forward, you have to apply the rest of these principles. These will help you know when to hold back and when to move forward.9. Value/Goodwin: Balance transactional and transformational.Covey: Paradigms of Interdependence; synergizeYou're not always wheeling and dealing.We live in a culture where most things are transactional and not big-picture transformational.

Questions, suggestions, or thoughts on the podcast? Email Patrick: patrick@paytongroupllc.comCitizenship in a Republic, by Theodore Rooseveltdelivered at the Sorbonne, Paris, France, April 23, 1910

Interested in sponsorship? Have ideas for the show? Email Patrick: patrick@paytongroupllc.comCome join us on Instagram: @noneutralmoments_New podcast recommendation: The Maximized LifestyleCheck them out on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon!Do not fear disagreement but rather mine it out to get what is best for all. The process of getting better always goes through friction and pruning.Covey: seek to understand before seeking to be understood.I do not mind if someone disagrees with me if they disagree with respect toward my views. There is not even respect towards one another right now. Benefits of Disagreement:Exposes our prejudices, blind spots, and oversightsForces challenge to my paradigms and systems of thought and actionForces me to see if I truly respect with the one with whom I disagree (and vice versa)Forces me to think and decide if what I think I think is really what I think (let my thought processes me challenged)Refines all of the aboveThe greatest challenge of disagreement is pride.Practices for Healthy Disagreement:Encourage others to disagree with youBe cautiousBe compassionateBe courageous

Have questions for us or suggestions for future episodes? Want to get some more information on sponsorship opportunities? Email patrick@paytongroupllc.com or reach out to us on Instagram: @noneutralmoments_Eisenhower referred to the extreme left and reactive right.Synergy: working together towards solutions that we could not come to separately.The answer is not in everyone agreeing to one side or the other.It doesn’t mean you have to compromise your convictions but it does mean you have to find a way to live together.

*Please see the excerpt below for a clarification on Lesson 9 regarding Shaun White.Email Patrick for sponsorship information: patrick@paytongroupllc.comNote taking app: EvernotePaper planner: Franklin Planner2020 Audit / 12 Lessons from 2020:Write your plans in pencilRemember the 3 Circles (Concern, Influence, Trust) adapted from Steven CoveyRushed or hurried and ‘right now’ are rarely rightCrisis always reveals character and conviction (so welcome the crisis/test)Find coaches, mentors, and advisors; we all need them. Blind spots and your success can be dangerousThe greater your leadership load, the more valuable your time alone; therefore, plan for it.Keep practicing seeking to understand before demanding to be understood (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey; Habit 5)The 5 Plus 1 is still a good foundation (faith, family, friends, fitness, finances; plus 1: servant leadership) Servant Leadership by Robert Greenleaf*The Shaun White Rule works; Tools of Titans by Tim FerrissYou only control your thoughts, words, and actions; you cannot control other people.Read and keep reading, and read more and more about dead people.*In this episode, Patrick references the Shaun White interview in Tim Ferriss' Tools of Titans. Patrick paraphrases White's response to one of Ferriss' questions and mentions his wife and children; In the interview, White uses the word 'family' as he is not married and does not have children. We apologize for the inadvertent error and have included the excerpt below to clarify:---TF: What’s your self-talk just before dropping into an Olympic run?SW: “I say, ‘At the end of the day, who cares? What’s the big deal? I’m here, I’m going to try my best, and I’m going to go home, and my family’s there. . . . Even though my whole world’s wrapped up in this, who cares?’”TF: The “and I’m going to go home, and my family’s there” is a line he adopted from Andre Agassi, one of his mentors. Shaun and I both love and recommend Andre’s autobiography, Open.”

In this final episode of 2020, Patrick takes a very personal look at the three areas of life that have helped him maintain a general sense of calm in such a volatile season of life in which we all find ourselves.

Are you signed up for our newsletter? It's easy! Sign up here to get our weekly email that accompanies the podcast episodes. Don't worry: we don't share your information, and we won't overwhelm your inbox.---Patrick references being on a local radio show on Wednesday mornings. You can listen online at 8:05 am at KWEL.comThis season is filled with noise and chaos, and there are two rules to be reminded of when tension and pressure in our lives is escalating.24 Hour RuleWhen it comes to anything that is not face-to-face or voice to voice (so digital, text, email, etc.) on important matters, you wait 24 hours to respond. With the exception of, you know if that’s not appropriate to wait to respond. This rule is highly beneficial when the stakes are high emotionally. Are you reacting or responding? Email and digital communication is someone else’s time imposing on your time. Your response to be planned and not a reaction. Again, these are in reference to emotionally charged matters.Pro Tip: turn off notifications of texts and emailsSee also Leaders Eat Last, by Simon Sinek, pages 41-45, 70See also Why Leaders Eat Last, for a great overview of dopamine addiction in the digital age.Drawing in the Dirt RuleThe accusation being brought up is literally one of life and death. And Jesus starts drawing in the dirt. We don’t know how long he paused for, but he paused, knelt down, and starts drawing in the dirt. You can just imagine the situation. He stands up and says, “He who is without sin can cast the first stone.”Is your trust secure enough? Do you know who you are, have enough confidence in your belonging, and some sort of clarity in your purpose, and are strong enough as an individual, that when it all blows up around you, you can pause for a moment and draw in the dirt?---When implementing these rules, you can pause for a minute, gather your thoughts, work through your values and your personal constitution, and realize that many people want to see a reaction, but this is an engaged moment that deserves a responsible response. In a day and age where they seems to be so little respect for humanity and everything is a reaction, maybe it’s time that we started a movement of people who choose to pause for a proper response instead of a cheap reaction. Today's episode is brought to you by:The Fidelis Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley in Midland, TX, who see it as their responsibility to help protect and grow their clients' wealth, giving clients the freedom to focus on what matters most. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.  Member SIPC.Contact: Phillip Knight, Fidelis Group at Morgan Stanley432-620-6079phillip.knight@morganstanley.com6 Desta Drive, Suite 1900, Midland, TXLuchini and Mertz: Luchini & Mertz Land Surveying Co. is a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees – all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science and process of land surveying.Contact: Bobby Burkholder, Luchini and Mertzluchinimertz.com432-684-67282805 W. Kentucky Avenue, Midland, TX

So. Bell & Co., Instagram | @sobellandco So. Bell & Co., online | sobellandco.comToday's episode is brought to you by:The Fidelis Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley in Midland, TX, who see it as their responsibility to help protect and grow their clients' wealth, giving clients the freedom to focus on what matters most. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.  Member SIPC.Contact: Phillip Knight, Fidelis Group at Morgan Stanley432-620-6079phillip.knight@morganstanley.com6 Desta Drive, Suite 1900, Midland, TX Luchini and Mertz: Luchini & Mertz Land Surveying Co. is a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees – all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science and process of land surveying.Contact: Bobby Burkholder, Luchini and Mertzluchinimertz.com432-684-67282805 W. Kentucky Avenue, Midland, TX

531 Churn:5 year projection / 3 year projection / 1 year plan (1 month, 1 week, 1 day)531 Churn within:FaithFinancesFamilyFitnessServant LeadershipToday's episode is brought to you by:The Fidelis Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley in Midland, TX, who see it as their responsibility to help protect and grow their clients' wealth, giving clients the freedom to focus on what matters most. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.  Member SIPC.Contact: Phillip Knight, Fidelis Group at Morgan Stanley432-620-6079phillip.knight@morganstanley.com6 Desta Drive, Suite 1900, Midland, TXLuchini and Mertz: Luchini & Mertz Land Surveying Co. is a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees – all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science and process of land surveying.Contact: Bobby Burkholder, Luchini and Mertzluchinimertz.com432-684-67282805 W. Kentucky Avenue, Midland, TX

Today's episode is brought to you by:The Fidelis Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley in Midland, TX, who see it as their responsibility to help protect and grow their clients' wealth, giving clients the freedom to focus on what matters most. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.  Member SIPC.Contact: Phillip Knight, Fidelis Group at Morgan Stanley432-620-6079phillip.knight@morganstanley.com6 Desta Drive, Suite 1900, Midland, TX Luchini and Mertz: Luchini & Mertz Land Surveying Co. is a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees – all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science and process of land surveying.Contact: Bobby Burkholder, Luchini and Mertzluchinimertz.com432-684-67282805 W. Kentucky Avenue, Midland, TXIf you're interested in being a sponsor on the No Neutral Moments podcast, please send an email to jessi@paytongroupllc.com. We would love to hear from you!--Servant Leadership, by Robert Greenleaf 

Miracle on the 17th Green, James PattersonAll the Best, George Bush: My life and letters and other writings; George H.W. BushAmerican Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race; Douglas BrinkleyConfrontational Politics; H.L. RichardsonIt’s the Manager; Jim Clifton and Jim HarterFrancis Schaeffer Trilogy; SchaefferThe Moral Case for Fossil Fuels; Alex EpsteinPagan Christianity; Frank Viola and George BarnaRange: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World; David EpsteinThe One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results; Gary Keller

Today's episode is brought to you by:Luchini and Mertz: Luchini and Mertz is known for their dedication to their clients and for their customer service. Their teams use cutting edge technology and efficient processes to ensure the work is completed in a timely fashion.Contact: Bobby Burkholder, Luchini and Mertzluchinimertz.com432-684-67282805 W. Kentucky Avenue

Today's episode is brought to you by:Luchini and Mertz: Luchini & Mertz Land Surveying Co. is a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees – all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science and process of land surveying.Contact: Bobby Burkholder, Luchini and Mertzluchinimertz.com432-684-67282805 W. Kentucky Avenue, Midland, TX

Read more about Tony and why he is running as well as his values on his website:https://tonygonzalesforcongress.com/

Today's episode is brought to you by:Luchini and Mertz: Luchini & Mertz Land Surveying Co. is a resilient business on a mission to faithfully serve clients & empower employees – all the while, building lifelong relationships through the art, science and process of land surveying.Contact: Bobby Burkholder, Luchini and Mertzluchinimertz.com432-684-67282805 W. Kentucky Avenue, Midland, TX

In this week’s episode Patrick takes us on an inward journey into what holds us back from the personal pursuit of our dreams and ambitions. With a personal conviction that all of us are designed, called and gifted for more than we would dare even hope or imagine, Patrick attempts to push us to think and dream differently for our greatest inward joy and ultimate gift of service to others.

Leadership has to be holistic when we are dealing with people.The Doom Loop*Orientation PerspectivePerformanceBreak between Expectations and PerformanceMotivational Orientation (again)These movements out of The Doom Loop are no longer leaps and bounds but very small adjustments. Tiny improvements will yield exponential results.To move into Elite Performance (the hardest steps):A deep attention for Connective Communication (see episodes ); fight for connection; you are delivering perspective and addressing the unsaid; this pulls team members back into the big picture and this is ongoingConstantly reminding people about the greater cause and the strategy of what you're trying to accomplish; you must convey the cause and the strategy separate from just making moneyOrganizational leaders have to be deeply committed to the personal growth of the people under your care from the inside outObjectives have to be clear: where are we headed? Every employee should be on a personal improvement plan (PIP)You have to have a commitment to churn on this all the time.Referenced literature:*Jim Collins, Good to Great Simon Sinek, The Infinite GameJohn Maxwell, Everybody Communicates, Few ConnectToday's episode is brought to you by:Luchini and Mertz: Luchini and Mertz is known for their dedication to their clients and for their customer service. Their teams use cutting edge technology and efficient processes to ensure the work is completed in a timely fashion.Contact: Bobby Burkholder, Luchini and Mertzluchinimertz.com432-684-67282805 W. Kentucky Avenue, Midland, TX

www.noneutralmoments.com | check us out on Instagram for some visual references from this episode.The need of competence is the thing we spend the most time on but is of least importance.Orientation Stage: 30-90 days, maybe into two quarters; we give them our core values (which may be a representation of basic ethics), our vision, and our mission, some brief job expectations, some metrics, and then they begin.Performance Stage: it's rewards based and not development based; we haven't put anything much bigger in front of them. There can be a breakdown of expectations and performance. Today's episode is brought to you by:Luchini and Mertz: Luchini and Mertz is known for their dedication to their clients and for their customer service. Their teams use cutting edge technology and efficient processes to ensure the work is completed in a timely fashion.Contact: Bobby Burkholder, Luchini and Mertzluchinimertz.com432-684-67282805 W. Kentucky Avenue, Midland, TXThe Fidelis Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley in Midland, TX, who see it as their responsibility to help protect and grow their clients' wealth, giving clients the freedom to focus on what matters most. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.  Member SIPCContact: Phillip Knight, Fidelis Group at Morgan Stanley432-620-6079phillip.knight@morganstanley.com6 Desta Drive, Suite 1900, Midland, TX

5 Core Needs, Dr. Kathy Koch: celebratekids.comAs employers and leaders, we are leading five-part human beings. People spend 40% (conservatively), and we cannot only focus on their competencies. It does not take long for partners and employees to see what they think they deserve. The reason they are spiraling around is because we have not connected to them or communicated to them what we need them to see and we have not invested in them. The "Guard, Blame, Protect, Defend" Cycle (see Episode 51).Commensurate Effort: the employee gives you what they think you deserve. When we hire people, we have to treat people as human beings, not human doings. Their effort is a response of our effort towards them. The First 30 Days:  A new employee comes on board and they have an orientation. We communicate the mission and the vision, and we speak to the whole person. We orient to what we wish we were and what we think we are rather than what we are striving for. And then, within the first quarter, they realize that we are treating them as human doings instead of human beings. The Breakdown Point: performance and expectations begin to collide. Today's episode is brought to you by:Luchini and Mertz: Luchini and Mertz is known for their dedication to their clients and for their customer service. Their teams use cutting edge technology and efficient processes to ensure the work is completed in a timely fashion.Contact: Bobby Burkholder, Luchini and Mertzluchinimertz.com432-684-67282805 W. Kentucky Avenue, Midland, TX

www.noneutralmoments.com5 Core Needs, Dr. Kathy Koch:  celebratekids.comFor a visual of the graphic that Patrick references, check out our Instagram.You have to create a "we" culture that is worthy of personal investment. If all you say is "we pay people well and we give them good benefits", you will reinforce the cycle with your employees of what they "see, want, and think they deserve". Pay is what employees think you owe them, what they think they deserve. It is not the driver to get peak performance.Who stays early, who stays late, and who performs above and beyond?Early employees that are excited are usually these people, and then it starts to wear off.This can also be by people who want to be noticed, and if they aren't, they will go into protecting, blaming, and defending and spiral out of control.And the last group is the one motivated by the shared cause. It transcends pay.60% of the people you employ (and that's generous) will never give you more than 60% unless they have a reason to believe in you with how you are answering the questions relating to security, identity, belonging, purpose, and competence.An unmotivated employee can lead you to a few conclusions:They are not self-motivated and they don't want to be self-motivatedThey may be self-motivated but they haven't been connectively communicated with (see episodes 45 and 46) that encourages them in a way to excel and get betterThey may be very passionate about something outside of the office, but they don't bring that same passion into the officeAsk them: What are your dreams? What do you want to do? What do you do in your spare time?As leaders, we have to nurture the souls of people. When you find dreamers, you always find people who want to achieve more. How are you helping them get to where they want to go? It's not an HR matter - it's a human development matter. If you're really investing in people, you have to invest in their soul. The more you invest in people and develop them the more they will invest and develop for you.Today's episode is brought to you by:Luchini and Mertz: Luchini and Mertz is known for their dedication to their clients and for their customer service. Their teams use cutting edge technology and efficient processes to ensure the work is completed in a timely fashion.Contact: Bobby Burkholder, Luchini and Mertzluchinimertz.com