Podcast appearances and mentions of John Spence

Send us a textDive into the riveting highlights of digitalNow 2024, where leading experts shared transformative insights on AI and its impact on associations. In this episode, keynote speakers Robert Plotkin, Dr. Gio Altamirano Rayo, Dr. Param Dedhia, Neil Hoyne, and John Spence unravel strategies for leveraging AI, enhancing leadership, and fostering innovation. From safeguarding intellectual property with AI to ethical AI applications at the U.S. Department of State, and even the science behind high-yield health, this episode delivers actionable takeaways for forward-thinking leaders.

To kick off the holiday season, we thought it'd be fun to reshare an exciting episode from earlier this year. In this episode throwback, John Spence, one of the top business experts in the world, author, CEO, and speaker, offers key leadership and management advice. He covers the elements of a good culture, the importance of caring for your people, and the impact that keeping toxic high-performing people can have on your business.View the video podcast on YouTubeAbout Our Guest:John SpenceCEO, John Spence LLCjohn@johnspence.comAbout Our Host:Jay GoninenCo-Founder & President, WrenchWayjayg@wrenchway.com | 608.716.2122WrenchWay Resources:Salary Comparison Tool - See pay information for automotive, diesel, and collision technicians near you at wrenchway.com/pay.Technicians & Students - Looking for the best shops or dealerships to work at? Check out wrenchway.com/shops.Shops & Dealerships - Want to find quality technicians, connect with schools, and support the auto and diesel industry? Learn about WrenchWay Top Shop Memberships.Auto, Diesel, or Tech Ed Instructors - Need help getting resources for your program and connecting with industry? We have free solutions for you on WrenchWay.Connect with us on social: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn YouTube TikTok

In this episode of Grow a Small Business, host Troy Trewin interviews Tevia Hoalst shares her journey of founding TeKoda Accounting, a firm specializing in personalized accounting services. Tevia discusses scaling her business to a 13-member team with 7-figure revenue, achieving over 20% annual growth, and earning an Inc. 5000 award for outstanding company culture. She emphasizes the importance of client-centric services, strong team dynamics, and leveraging AI for industry growth. Why would you wait any longer to start living the lifestyle you signed up for? Balance your health, wealth, relationships and business growth. And focus your time and energy and make the most of this year. Let's get into it by clicking here. Troy delves into our guest's startup journey, their perception of success, industry reconsideration, and the pivotal stress point during business expansion. They discuss the joys of small business growth, vital entrepreneurial habits, and strategies for team building, encompassing wins, blunders, and invaluable advice. And a snapshot of the final five Grow A Small Business Questions: What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business? According to Tevia Hoalst, the hardest thing in growing a small business is perseverance. She emphasizes that not every day will feel like a win, and visionaries must push through the slow days while staying focused on their long-term goals. What's your favourite business book that has helped you the most? Tevia Hoalst's favorite business book is Awesomely Simple by John Spence. She finds its six principles invaluable, especially the emphasis on building a strong company culture and addressing toxic team dynamics, even when it involves high-performing individuals. Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you'd recommend to help grow a small business? Tevia Hoalst recommends the podcast Diary of a CEO. She appreciates its variety of guests and insightful interview style, making it a valuable resource for personal and professional growth in business. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business? Tevia Hoalst recommends investing in a robust client management system. She highlights its importance in automating tasks and reducing manual work, enabling teams to focus on more strategic activities and business growth. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business? Tevia Hoalst would tell herself on day one to embrace the journey, stay committed, and enjoy every moment. Her advice emphasizes digging in, loving the process, and making the experience fun while working toward long-term success. Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights! Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey.     Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest: Success is all about perseverance, pushing through the slow days while keeping your eye on the goal — Tevia Hoalst AI won't replace the human element; it's the personal connection that keeps clients coming back — Tevia Hoalst Client service isn't just about delivering results; it's about building lasting relationships and understanding their goals — Tevia Hoalst      

Send us a textIn this episode, Paul McCarthy, An executive advisor and best-selling author of "The F.I.R.E.D. Leader: Reinventing the Future of Leadership, shares his fascinating journey through leadership, highlighting the challenges and triumphs along the way. We'll dive into his book, 'The Fired Leader: Reinventing the Future of Leadership,' and explore the essential qualities needed for upcoming leaders. More information:Website: Paul Mac - Finding the Future of LeadershipOne-hour introductory program: Embracing Tomorrow's Leader, Today. Access code: CanHRPod for 50% offPaul's book: The FIRED Leader: Reinventing the Future of LeadershipAbout Paul McCarthy:An executive advisor and best-selling author of "The F.I.R.E.D. Leader: Reinventing the Future of Leadership," Paul challenges traditional and outdated leadership paradigms through his groundbreaking work in leadership. He has earned endorsements and support from world-renowned leadership, HR, and industry experts including Marshall Goldsmith, Whitney Johnson, John Spence, Garry Ridge, Professor Gary Hamel and many others.Paul has a proven track record supporting major global organizations through transformations, across multiple industries including technology, energy to public sector. As an executive coach with over 3,000 hours of coaching experience, he also brings practical insights to leaders, C-suite executives, and boards navigating complex transformations. His work with over 100 global clients (including many Fortune 500) demonstrates his ability to enhance organizational and leadership capacity and capability while delivering measurable results.Paul is reshaping how organizations create sustainable leadership pipelines by creating the conditions for identifying and developing the disruptive leadership capabilities needed to equip these organizations and their talent/leaders to navigate ongoing disruption, transformation, and tomorrow's business challenges. His previous podcast ranked in the global top 1% of Management and Leadership content, making him a trusted voice in the future of work conversation and supporting organizations to rethink how they identify and develop future-ready leaders.

 Fitz introduces us to John Spence, a renowned business thought leader, author, and leadership development speaker in this episode. John shares invaluable insights that will leave you with golden nuggets to enrich your personal and professional life. Join Fitz and John as they delve into the importance of identifying and living by your personal core values, the power of asking for help, and the influence of reading for self-improvement. Learn about the significance of focusing on what you can control, the art of responding thoughtfully to life's challenges, and the strength of surrounding yourself with positive influences. With engaging stories and practical tips, this episode promises to inspire and empower you to make meaningful decisions. Stick around for the communication tip and song of the week! Thanks for keeping The Fitzness Show in the top 3% of all podcasts worldwide. Please subscribe, share, and leave a review.  Order signed copies of the Cancer Comeback Series books at Fitzness.com - on sale now! Visit Fitzness.com for referenced content like the Exact Formula for Weight Loss, free workout videos, Fixing Your Life with Fitzness, books, and more.

John Spence, one of the top business experts in the world, author, CEO, and speaker, is back to offer key leadership and management advice. He covers the elements of a good culture, the importance of caring for your people, and the impact that keeping toxic high-performing people can have on your business.View the video podcast on YouTubeAbout Our Guest:John SpenceCEO, John Spence LLCjohn@johnspence.comSponsor:Jasper Engines & TransmissionsAbout Our Host:Jay GoninenCo-Founder & President, WrenchWayjayg@wrenchway.com | 608.716.2122WrenchWay Resources:Technician Compensation Tool - See automotive, diesel, and collision technician compensation in your area at wrenchway.com/pay.Technicians & Students - Looking for the best shops to work at? Check out wrenchway.com/shops.Shops & Dealerships - Want to find quality technicians and support the industry? Learn about WrenchWay Shop Memberships.Instructors - Need help getting resources and connecting with industry? We have free resources for your program. Connect with us on social: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn YouTube TikTok

Episode Summary John Spence is recognized as a Global Top 100 Business Thinker and Top 500 Leadership Development Expert. As a consultant and coach to organizations worldwide, from startups to the Fortune 10, John is dedicated to helping people and businesses be more successful by “Making the Very Complex… Awesomely Simple.” Who's your ideal client and what's the biggest challenge they face? What are the common mistakes people make when trying to solve that problem? What is one valuable free action that our audience can implement that will help with that issue? What is one valuable free resource that you can direct people to that will help with that issue? What's the one question I should have asked you that would be of great value to our audience? When was the last time you experienced Goosebumps with your family and why? For more information go to JohnSpence.com Get in touch with John: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube Learn more about how Uwe helps in-demand professionals and their VIPs to enjoy Unshakeable Two-getherness in their relationship (plus more free time and zero guilt). Or when you feel you'd be interested in working together you can Book A Chat With Uwe

Embark on a transformative journey with leadership expert, John Spence, as he unravels the profound lessons hidden within failures on this Disrupted episode, "How To Use Past Failures To Make You Thrive." 1️⃣ **Discover the Power of Personal Purpose:** In a world filled with distractions and challenges, John Spence emphasizes the pivotal role of having a personal purpose. Uncover the importance of a clear sense of direction to keep you focused and motivated, acting as a beacon of light during moments of adversity. 2️⃣ **Turning Failures into Touchstones:** Learn the art of resilience by understanding how past failures, even those that turned out well, can serve as touchstones for navigating current challenges. John Spence guides you through the process of leveraging past experiences as a source of strength, resilience, and wisdom. 3️⃣ **Mastering the Art of Letting Go:** Gain insights into the essence of control and acceptance. John Spence imparts valuable wisdom on differentiating between what you can and cannot control. Explore the liberating concept of letting go of everything beyond your control, fostering a mindset of empowerment and focus on what truly matters. Join us for an insightful exploration of personal growth, resilience, and success with John Spence. This episode is a roadmap for thriving in the face of adversity, turning failures into stepping stones for a brighter future.  = = = = = = = = = = =  = = = = = = = = Only this January, they help you gear up to crush your 2024 new year resolutions fully focused. You get 1 month for free, when you're subscribing for 3 months at: https://www.magicmind.com/JANwholeceo   AND with my code: CEO20 It's an extra 20% off, which gets you to a 75% off. This only lasts until the end of January, so hurry up before it goes away. = = = = = = = = = = =  = = = = = = = =

Thanks for tuning in to the Poetic Properties with Kamplexx Ep.138 "Rising from the ashes" Let's dive right into it. This week has been a rollercoaster, dealing with personal challenges and emotions running high. The balloon release was an emotional whirlwind, and the unexpected flood of tears caught me off guard. Life's adversities can tear us apart, but if you have the strength to endure, the scars become a testament to your resilience. John Spence's words, 'If you expect the world to be fair with you because you are fair, you're fooling yourself,' resonate deeply. It's a harsh lesson in setting boundaries and teaching others how to treat us. My journey through a series of life-shattering events taught me the power of self-reliance and the importance of breaking down and rebuilding from within. Today, we discussed facing disasters head-on and emerging stronger, emphasizing the crucial role mental health plays in the recovery process. Remember, recovery is a journey, not a destination. It's okay not to be okay, and seeking help is a sign of strength. Celebrate your progress, embrace your resilience, and remember, you're not alone on this winding road to recovery. Thanks for going through this journey with me.   Support TheKamplexx https://linktr.ee/thekamplexx Follow The Kamplexx https://twitter.com/TheKamplexx https://www.instagram.com/kamplexx_/ tiktok.com/@thekamplexx

A conversation with rapper, activist and educator John Spence aka Johnny Cypher, an outspoken and passionate advocate for climate justice who uses hip-hop to help people find hope in dark times.

¿Cómo está manejando Londres las emisiones del transporte público y privado para mejorar la contaminación y luchar contra el cambio climático? El informe desde Londres. Cada día, el metro de Londres, el más antiguo del mundo, hace 4 millones de viajes transportando miles de pasajeros. Mientras que sus 9 mil buses rojos, hacen 5 millones de recorridos semanalmente.  Al menos 2,6 millones de carros recorren sus calles modernas e históricas.  Para controlar este nivel de tránsito contaminante, la directora de Transporte de Transport for London, Christina Calderato, explica en RFI que además de inversiones millonarias para el transporte público, se debe cambiar de hábitos.  “A través de la inversión en transporte público y alternativas de viaje, podemos ayudar a las personas a dejar de lado el automóvil. Pero también estamos implementando esquemas como el de cargo por zonas de emisiones ultrabajas, que nos ayuda a garantizar que las personas solo conduzcan los autos más limpios en Londres, si necesitan conducir”, afirma Calderato. Tanto el gobierno británico como el de Londres, están incentivando el uso de automóviles eléctricos. Sin embargo, sus elevados precios y la falta de puntos de carga, son los palos en la rueda.  John Spence, consciente del cambio climático, se cambió a un carro eléctrico, valuado en casi 100.000 dólares. Lo carga en su casa, como si fuera su teléfono celular. Para una carga completa, necesita 8 horas.  “Es un carro precioso, muy silencioso, suave. Tiene un alcance de 354 kilómetros, por lo que lo usamos para viajes de 160 kilómetros o menos. ¿Por qué? “Las instalaciones de carga fuera de la propia casa son obviamente más complejas. Es posible que tengas que hacer fila, necesitas planificar viajes”, explica Spence.  Los carros eléctricos, hechos tanto en Reino Unido como en la Unión Europea, pueden subir un 10 % más de precio, desde enero de 2024, por las reglas de origen, una ley postbrexit.  Este mercado crece en todo el país. El 2.5% de los carros en Londres ya son eléctricos.  Tecnología y puntos de carga, lo pendiente Londres tiene, hasta el momento, 13.373 puntos públicos de carga de carros eléctricos, lo que representa el 31% de todo el país. Estos se conectan como si fuera un celular y se paga con tarjeta de crédito.  Cristina Calderato reconoce la falta de infraestructura en la ciudad que genera incertidumbre entre los usuarios y futuros compradores de esta tecnología.  “No se trata solo, por ejemplo, de tirar dinero a cargadores rápidos. Sabemos que necesitamos tener una combinación: necesitamos cargadores lentos y rápidos, donde las personas puedan cargar. Como los domiciliares puedan cargar en casa”.  Agrega que “necesitamos hubs de alta velocidad, donde sabemos que ha sido un desafío para las personas que tienen carros eléctricos es tener la confianza de que habrá un cargador disponible y que funcionará”.Por su parte, el vocero de la Sociedad de Fabricantes y Comercializadores de Vehículos Británicos, (SMMT), James Boley, explica en RFI por qué este tipo de carro es tan caro, una tecnología muy nueva que empezó a conocerse en 2020.  “Una parte significativa de la producción de un vehículo eléctrico es su batería, que representa entre el 30 y el 45 % del costo de producción de ese vehículo total. Eso es porque las baterías requieren mucha energía para producir y sus precios han aumentado. También requieren materias primas como el litio y el cobalto, cuya oferta no necesariamente está a la altura de la demanda en este momento” Londres y su ambiciosa meta medio ambiental El alcalde de la capital británica, Sadiq Khan, ha prometido que la ciudad tendrá cero emisiones de carbono para 2030. Para cumplirla, tiene que reducir su tráfico actual en un 27%.  Esto significa que un gran porcentaje de los viajes o desplazamientos de quienes, y viven en la ciudad, deben utilizar más la red de transporte público, que incluye el metro, buses, y caminar y montar en bicicleta. El director de transporte de la Unidad de Inteligencia Energética y Climática, Colin Walker, dice que Londres vive una agenda verde.  “Su enorme flota de autobuses se está electrificando con bastante rapidez, al igual que muchos de sus taxis. Se han introducido nuevas líneas de bicicletas, ya que Londres tiene los niveles mucho más altos de rutas para ciclistas que el resto del país. Y la mayor flota de vehículos de cero emisiones de Uber está en Londres”.  Para controlar la polución vehicular, causante de 4.000 muertes prematuras, Londres extenderá desde finales de agosto, el cobro de 16 dólares diarios para los carros altamente contaminantes que se desplacen desde las afueras al centro.  Una medida polémica, en medio de la crisis del costo de vida, que, sin duda, ha mejorado la calidad del aire.  This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3279340/advertisement

¿Cómo está manejando Londres las emisiones del transporte público y privado para mejorar la contaminación y luchar contra el cambio climático? El informe desde Londres. Cada día, el metro de Londres, el más antiguo del mundo, hace 4 millones de viajes transportando miles de pasajeros. Mientras que sus 9 mil buses rojos, hacen 5 millones de recorridos semanalmente.  Al menos 2,6 millones de carros recorren sus calles modernas e históricas.  Para controlar este nivel de tránsito contaminante, la directora de Transporte de Transport for London, Christina Calderato, explica en RFI que además de inversiones millonarias para el transporte público, se debe cambiar de hábitos.  “A través de la inversión en transporte público y alternativas de viaje, podemos ayudar a las personas a dejar de lado el automóvil. Pero también estamos implementando esquemas como el de cargo por zonas de emisiones ultrabajas, que nos ayuda a garantizar que las personas solo conduzcan los autos más limpios en Londres, si necesitan conducir”, afirma Calderato. Tanto el gobierno británico como el de Londres, están incentivando el uso de automóviles eléctricos. Sin embargo, sus elevados precios y la falta de puntos de carga, son los palos en la rueda.  John Spence, consciente del cambio climático, se cambió a un carro eléctrico, valuado en casi 100.000 dólares. Lo carga en su casa, como si fuera su teléfono celular. Para una carga completa, necesita 8 horas.  “Es un carro precioso, muy silencioso, suave. Tiene un alcance de 354 kilómetros, por lo que lo usamos para viajes de 160 kilómetros o menos. ¿Por qué? “Las instalaciones de carga fuera de la propia casa son obviamente más complejas. Es posible que tengas que hacer fila, necesitas planificar viajes”, explica Spence.  Los carros eléctricos, hechos tanto en Reino Unido como en la Unión Europea, pueden subir un 10 % más de precio, desde enero de 2024, por las reglas de origen, una ley postbrexit.  Este mercado crece en todo el país. El 2.5% de los carros en Londres ya son eléctricos.  Tecnología y puntos de carga, lo pendiente Londres tiene, hasta el momento, 13.373 puntos públicos de carga de carros eléctricos, lo que representa el 31% de todo el país. Estos se conectan como si fuera un celular y se paga con tarjeta de crédito.  Cristina Calderato reconoce la falta de infraestructura en la ciudad que genera incertidumbre entre los usuarios y futuros compradores de esta tecnología.  “No se trata solo, por ejemplo, de tirar dinero a cargadores rápidos. Sabemos que necesitamos tener una combinación: necesitamos cargadores lentos y rápidos, donde las personas puedan cargar. Como los domiciliares puedan cargar en casa”.  Agrega que “necesitamos hubs de alta velocidad, donde sabemos que ha sido un desafío para las personas que tienen carros eléctricos es tener la confianza de que habrá un cargador disponible y que funcionará”.Por su parte, el vocero de la Sociedad de Fabricantes y Comercializadores de Vehículos Británicos, (SMMT), James Boley, explica en RFI por qué este tipo de carro es tan caro, una tecnología muy nueva que empezó a conocerse en 2020.  “Una parte significativa de la producción de un vehículo eléctrico es su batería, que representa entre el 30 y el 45 % del costo de producción de ese vehículo total. Eso es porque las baterías requieren mucha energía para producir y sus precios han aumentado. También requieren materias primas como el litio y el cobalto, cuya oferta no necesariamente está a la altura de la demanda en este momento” Londres y su ambiciosa meta medio ambiental El alcalde de la capital británica, Sadiq Khan, ha prometido que la ciudad tendrá cero emisiones de carbono para 2030. Para cumplirla, tiene que reducir su tráfico actual en un 27%.  Esto significa que un gran porcentaje de los viajes o desplazamientos de quienes, y viven en la ciudad, deben utilizar más la red de transporte público, que incluye el metro, buses, y caminar y montar en bicicleta. El director de transporte de la Unidad de Inteligencia Energética y Climática, Colin Walker, dice que Londres vive una agenda verde.  “Su enorme flota de autobuses se está electrificando con bastante rapidez, al igual que muchos de sus taxis. Se han introducido nuevas líneas de bicicletas, ya que Londres tiene los niveles mucho más altos de rutas para ciclistas que el resto del país. Y la mayor flota de vehículos de cero emisiones de Uber está en Londres”.  Para controlar la polución vehicular, causante de 4.000 muertes prematuras, Londres extenderá desde finales de agosto, el cobro de 16 dólares diarios para los carros altamente contaminantes que se desplacen desde las afueras al centro.  Una medida polémica, en medio de la crisis del costo de vida, que, sin duda, ha mejorado la calidad del aire.  This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3279343/advertisement

¿Cómo está manejando Londres las emisiones del transporte público y privado para mejorar la contaminación y luchar contra el cambio climático? El informe desde Londres. Cada día, el metro de Londres, el más antiguo del mundo, hace 4 millones de viajes transportando miles de pasajeros. Mientras que sus 9 mil buses rojos, hacen 5 millones de recorridos semanalmente.  Al menos 2,6 millones de carros recorren sus calles modernas e históricas.  Para controlar este nivel de tránsito contaminante, la directora de Transporte de Transport for London, Christina Calderato, explica en RFI que además de inversiones millonarias para el transporte público, se debe cambiar de hábitos.  “A través de la inversión en transporte público y alternativas de viaje, podemos ayudar a las personas a dejar de lado el automóvil. Pero también estamos implementando esquemas como el de cargo por zonas de emisiones ultrabajas, que nos ayuda a garantizar que las personas solo conduzcan los autos más limpios en Londres, si necesitan conducir”, afirma Calderato. Tanto el gobierno británico como el de Londres, están incentivando el uso de automóviles eléctricos. Sin embargo, sus elevados precios y la falta de puntos de carga, son los palos en la rueda.  John Spence, consciente del cambio climático, se cambió a un carro eléctrico, valuado en casi 100.000 dólares. Lo carga en su casa, como si fuera su teléfono celular. Para una carga completa, necesita 8 horas.  “Es un carro precioso, muy silencioso, suave. Tiene un alcance de 354 kilómetros, por lo que lo usamos para viajes de 160 kilómetros o menos. ¿Por qué? “Las instalaciones de carga fuera de la propia casa son obviamente más complejas. Es posible que tengas que hacer fila, necesitas planificar viajes”, explica Spence.  Los carros eléctricos, hechos tanto en Reino Unido como en la Unión Europea, pueden subir un 10 % más de precio, desde enero de 2024, por las reglas de origen, una ley postbrexit.  Este mercado crece en todo el país. El 2.5% de los carros en Londres ya son eléctricos.  Tecnología y puntos de carga, lo pendiente Londres tiene, hasta el momento, 13.373 puntos públicos de carga de carros eléctricos, lo que representa el 31% de todo el país. Estos se conectan como si fuera un celular y se paga con tarjeta de crédito.  Cristina Calderato reconoce la falta de infraestructura en la ciudad que genera incertidumbre entre los usuarios y futuros compradores de esta tecnología.  “No se trata solo, por ejemplo, de tirar dinero a cargadores rápidos. Sabemos que necesitamos tener una combinación: necesitamos cargadores lentos y rápidos, donde las personas puedan cargar. Como los domiciliares puedan cargar en casa”.  Agrega que “necesitamos hubs de alta velocidad, donde sabemos que ha sido un desafío para las personas que tienen carros eléctricos es tener la confianza de que habrá un cargador disponible y que funcionará”.Por su parte, el vocero de la Sociedad de Fabricantes y Comercializadores de Vehículos Británicos, (SMMT), James Boley, explica en RFI por qué este tipo de carro es tan caro, una tecnología muy nueva que empezó a conocerse en 2020.  “Una parte significativa de la producción de un vehículo eléctrico es su batería, que representa entre el 30 y el 45 % del costo de producción de ese vehículo total. Eso es porque las baterías requieren mucha energía para producir y sus precios han aumentado. También requieren materias primas como el litio y el cobalto, cuya oferta no necesariamente está a la altura de la demanda en este momento” Londres y su ambiciosa meta medio ambiental El alcalde de la capital británica, Sadiq Khan, ha prometido que la ciudad tendrá cero emisiones de carbono para 2030. Para cumplirla, tiene que reducir su tráfico actual en un 27%.  Esto significa que un gran porcentaje de los viajes o desplazamientos de quienes, y viven en la ciudad, deben utilizar más la red de transporte público, que incluye el metro, buses, y caminar y montar en bicicleta. El director de transporte de la Unidad de Inteligencia Energética y Climática, Colin Walker, dice que Londres vive una agenda verde.  “Su enorme flota de autobuses se está electrificando con bastante rapidez, al igual que muchos de sus taxis. Se han introducido nuevas líneas de bicicletas, ya que Londres tiene los niveles mucho más altos de rutas para ciclistas que el resto del país. Y la mayor flota de vehículos de cero emisiones de Uber está en Londres”.  Para controlar la polución vehicular, causante de 4.000 muertes prematuras, Londres extenderá desde finales de agosto, el cobro de 16 dólares diarios para los carros altamente contaminantes que se desplacen desde las afueras al centro.  Una medida polémica, en medio de la crisis del costo de vida, que, sin duda, ha mejorado la calidad del aire.  This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4064350/advertisement

¿Cómo está manejando Londres las emisiones del transporte público y privado para mejorar la contaminación y luchar contra el cambio climático? El informe desde Londres. Cada día, el metro de Londres, el más antiguo del mundo, hace 4 millones de viajes transportando miles de pasajeros. Mientras que sus 9 mil buses rojos, hacen 5 millones de recorridos semanalmente.  Al menos 2,6 millones de carros recorren sus calles modernas e históricas.  Para controlar este nivel de tránsito contaminante, la directora de Transporte de Transport for London, Christina Calderato, explica en RFI que además de inversiones millonarias para el transporte público, se debe cambiar de hábitos.  “A través de la inversión en transporte público y alternativas de viaje, podemos ayudar a las personas a dejar de lado el automóvil. Pero también estamos implementando esquemas como el de cargo por zonas de emisiones ultrabajas, que nos ayuda a garantizar que las personas solo conduzcan los autos más limpios en Londres, si necesitan conducir”, afirma Calderato. Tanto el gobierno británico como el de Londres, están incentivando el uso de automóviles eléctricos. Sin embargo, sus elevados precios y la falta de puntos de carga, son los palos en la rueda.  John Spence, consciente del cambio climático, se cambió a un carro eléctrico, valuado en casi 100.000 dólares. Lo carga en su casa, como si fuera su teléfono celular. Para una carga completa, necesita 8 horas.  “Es un carro precioso, muy silencioso, suave. Tiene un alcance de 354 kilómetros, por lo que lo usamos para viajes de 160 kilómetros o menos. ¿Por qué? “Las instalaciones de carga fuera de la propia casa son obviamente más complejas. Es posible que tengas que hacer fila, necesitas planificar viajes”, explica Spence.  Los carros eléctricos, hechos tanto en Reino Unido como en la Unión Europea, pueden subir un 10 % más de precio, desde enero de 2024, por las reglas de origen, una ley postbrexit.  Este mercado crece en todo el país. El 2.5% de los carros en Londres ya son eléctricos.  Tecnología y puntos de carga, lo pendiente Londres tiene, hasta el momento, 13.373 puntos públicos de carga de carros eléctricos, lo que representa el 31% de todo el país. Estos se conectan como si fuera un celular y se paga con tarjeta de crédito.  Cristina Calderato reconoce la falta de infraestructura en la ciudad que genera incertidumbre entre los usuarios y futuros compradores de esta tecnología.  “No se trata solo, por ejemplo, de tirar dinero a cargadores rápidos. Sabemos que necesitamos tener una combinación: necesitamos cargadores lentos y rápidos, donde las personas puedan cargar. Como los domiciliares puedan cargar en casa”.  Agrega que “necesitamos hubs de alta velocidad, donde sabemos que ha sido un desafío para las personas que tienen carros eléctricos es tener la confianza de que habrá un cargador disponible y que funcionará”.Por su parte, el vocero de la Sociedad de Fabricantes y Comercializadores de Vehículos Británicos, (SMMT), James Boley, explica en RFI por qué este tipo de carro es tan caro, una tecnología muy nueva que empezó a conocerse en 2020.  “Una parte significativa de la producción de un vehículo eléctrico es su batería, que representa entre el 30 y el 45 % del costo de producción de ese vehículo total. Eso es porque las baterías requieren mucha energía para producir y sus precios han aumentado. También requieren materias primas como el litio y el cobalto, cuya oferta no necesariamente está a la altura de la demanda en este momento” Londres y su ambiciosa meta medio ambiental El alcalde de la capital británica, Sadiq Khan, ha prometido que la ciudad tendrá cero emisiones de carbono para 2030. Para cumplirla, tiene que reducir su tráfico actual en un 27%.  Esto significa que un gran porcentaje de los viajes o desplazamientos de quienes, y viven en la ciudad, deben utilizar más la red de transporte público, que incluye el metro, buses, y caminar y montar en bicicleta. El director de transporte de la Unidad de Inteligencia Energética y Climática, Colin Walker, dice que Londres vive una agenda verde.  “Su enorme flota de autobuses se está electrificando con bastante rapidez, al igual que muchos de sus taxis. Se han introducido nuevas líneas de bicicletas, ya que Londres tiene los niveles mucho más altos de rutas para ciclistas que el resto del país. Y la mayor flota de vehículos de cero emisiones de Uber está en Londres”.  Para controlar la polución vehicular, causante de 4.000 muertes prematuras, Londres extenderá desde finales de agosto, el cobro de 16 dólares diarios para los carros altamente contaminantes que se desplacen desde las afueras al centro.  Una medida polémica, en medio de la crisis del costo de vida, que, sin duda, ha mejorado la calidad del aire.  This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4231678/advertisement

John Spence is widely recognized as one of the top business and leadership development experts in the world. He was the CEO of an international Rockefeller foundation at 26. He's a voracious learner who consumes a minimum of 100 business books annually. He has lectured at more than 90 colleges and universities, including MIT, Stanford, Cornell, University of Auckland, University of Kraków, and the Wharton School of Business. John is the author of one of Sturdy's favorite books, Awesomely Simple. John has built his entire career on “Making the Very Complex… Awesomely Simple.” You can learn more about John at JohnSpence.com. I loved recording this episode with John. For more about my (Sturdy's) coaching, speaking, and programs for business owner operators, please visit SturdyCoaching.com. #smallbusiness #businessowner #leadership #management #entrepreneur

It takes more than just planning to master strategy, you need to be able to execute it properly, and motivate your team. These things are crucial if you want your strategy to perform how you'd envisioned. In this episode, Sean interviews John Spence, a top 100 Business Thought Leader, and top 500 Leadership Development Expert. John shares his key frameworks, which he has developed over three decades of experience, as CEO of six different companies. This episode is packed with insights for leaders who want to execute their strategies but ensure their team is on board with the vision. Have a listen to this week's ScaleUps episode: 1:52 - The 5 pillars of strategic thinking 6:45 - The importance of change as a founder 13:32 - The three quotients for leadership 16:40 - The importance of accountability as a founder 24:11 - How to encourage growth in your employees 38:28 - The biggest problems John has faced as a CEO ------------------------------------------------------ If you got value from today's episode, you can subscribe, or review us on Apple Podcasts. Watch or listen to full episodes on: • Spotify: https://loom.ly/NuK50WA • Apple: https://loom.ly/-oy8jL4 • YouTube: https://loom.ly/u_vibuw You can reach out to connect with Sean directly via: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seansteeleprofile/ • Website: www.seansteele.com.au ‍You can reach out to connect with John Spence at: • LinkedIn: John Spence • Website: johnspence.com

The post How Am I Doing? – Bible Study by Elder John Spence appeared first on Marion Oaks Assembly of God.

On episode 77 of The Unique CPA, Randy talks to John Spence, author of Awesomely Simple and CEO of John Spence LLC, about his streamlined, simple techniques and strategies for helping businesses—and businesspeople—improve every day. John talks about the importance of reading and synthesizing a lot of information into simple takeaways, discusses the concepts of IQ, EQ and AQ, and offers helpful advice for anyone looking to get a leg up in their business or career. Get the full show notes and more resources at TheUniqueCPA.com

Poetic Properties with Kamplexx Ep.94 It's Bigger than that Man, I missed y'all these past 3 weeks have been some of the most difficult weeks in recent times. My mental has been disrespected by people in my personal and professional life, and even though I know that we are just BINGO balls rotating vigorously in a bingo cage I try to give folks the benefit of the doubt, and each time it's some bullshit. Work went Immediately left, and the Super that I was hesitant about turned out to be a snack, the entire time she played in every conversation we had, but was secretly trying to get me fired, created this long email of lies once I responded to receipts now, they are acting like everything is normal and it definitely is not, not even close. Turned around and learned a valuable lesson in ownership or lack thereof in my personal life. It brings back to memory one of my favorite quotes. “If you expect the world to be fair with you because you are fair, you're fooling yourself. That's like expecting the lion not to eat you because you didn't eat him”. John Spence. Even though I know the world is cruel I have this idea that it isn't and that is my fault. I have hella trust issues hella emotional issues, yet I believe that people can be good for the most part in my experience the last few people I've given the benefit of the doubt shown how dark they can be. And Mentally I can't live in that space my growth is contingent on the peace I obtain through my journey my belief in myself has to be stronger than my belief in others.    *Poetic Properties is an Infinitely Kamplexx Production. Sponsored by Peacefully Flawed apparel. Support Kamplexx https://linktr.ee/infinitelykamplexx Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2aw7rA-Z9ReMyRs_hVyNGw  Follow Poetic Properties W/Kamplexx: https://twitter.com/TheKamplexx https://www.instagram.com/kamplexx_/  “LOVE OVERALL” painting by: NalaniArts https://www.instagram.com/nalaniarts/?hl=en

Organizations value coaching even in demanding business situations where company resources are closely scrutinized. That's because coaching offers a laser-focused approach especially aimed at these crucial individuals in the organization. Leaders are accountable for making strategic decisions that may affect the direction of their organizations during challenging times. John Spence is recognized as one of the top business thought leaders and leadership development experts in the world and was named by the American Management Association as one of America's Top 50 Leaders to Watch along with Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google and Jeff Bezos of Amazon. He has been a guest lecturer at more than 90 colleges and universities, including MIT, Stanford, Cornell, and the Wharton School of Business. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tbcy/support

In this episode, John Spence talks about upscaling your business by organizing your company culture through strategic thinking. He is the managing partner at John Spence LLC, strategic partner at Advisory Works, senior instructor at the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU), an instructor at Entrepreneurs' Organization and SIFMA, business advisor, executive coach, trainer, speaker, and author. John conducts coaching and strategic business planning for senior executives. He helps them to develop their strategic thinking skills and to organize their company cultures. John is passionate about helping his clients to create powerful and effective strategies and to execute them efficiently in order to upscale their businesses. To learn more about John Spence, go to http://aha.pub/JohnSpence. To get in touch with him, visit https://johnspence.com/. Mitchell Levy is the Global Credibility Expert at AHAthat, the first AHA leadership (Thought Leadership) platform on the market for thought leaders, experts and companies to unleash their genius to the world. His passion is helping entrepreneurs, business owners and C-Suite Executives get known as thought leaders & become best-selling authors with the AHA platform. He is an accomplished entrepreneur who has created 20 businesses in Silicon Valley including four publishing companies that have published over 800 books. Mitchell is an international best-selling author with 60 business books, has provided strategic consulting to over 100 companies, has advised over 500 CEOs on critical business issues, and has been chairman of the board of a NASDAQ-listed company.Visit https://www.credibilitynation.com to learn more about the Credibility Nation community.Visit https://www.ahathat.com/author to learn how you can become an Amazon best-selling author in 4 months.

In this week's episode of Beyond the Wrench, we are joined by John Spence, Business Advisor and Author. John shares with us what employees are looking for in a job, how to build a strong team, and the characteristics of a great leader. Resources:Learn more about WrenchWay Reverse Job Posts.Learn more about John SpenceRead John's book: Awesomely SimpleDownload the free WrenchWay app in the App Store or on Google Play:App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1534587616Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wrenchway.insidersAbout Our Host:Jay GoninenCo-Founder & President, WrenchWayjayg@wrenchway.com | 608.716.2122About Our Guest:John SpenceBusiness Advisor and Authorjohn@johnspence.comSponsor:Sonic Tools is a highly experienced specialist in the development and production of professional hand tools and toolboxes. With immense knowledge and expertise, Sonic has a growing reputation for its quality automotive repair tools and related products.

John Spence was born in Miami, Florida, where his Dad was a famous attorney, who made it to the covers of reputable magazines and had one wing of the law school at the University of Miami named after him. John went to a top grade school, got great grades, and was accepted to many different colleges. But for some reason, he messed up in college and got kicked out of the university of his choice, the University of Miami, where his father was one of the top alumni and was one of the board of directors of the university at that time. Turning in his records to another university, he was literally laughed at and turned down. But instead of throwing his future away, he chose to gather his composure and resolved to fix himself from that point forward.Highlights:His double-edged realization: He had to rebuild himself all by himself, which also meant he had to get every single help from all different sources possible -- people, books, videos, and the likes. His own definition of success: When your core values and self-concept are in harmony with your daily actions and behaviors. How his self-drawn discipline  turned his life around, transformed him from a college failure to graduating #3 in the US, and becoming a CEO at 26 real quick. How one's own written core values, the definition of success, purpose, and picture of ideal life help them live a life of clarity and confidence.How this whole process is an excellent idea of self-care that enables one to realize the value of helping and giving back to others.Although most people define or associate success with money, fame, power, and status, John's personal experiences and up-close encounters with some of the wealthiest people in the world made him realize considerably early in life that these things do not necessarily equate to success. Apparently, success is relative to whatever is part of one's personal set of core values. But an even greater predicament is that so many people, even executives, have not come up with their own definition of success let alone core values. It is for these certain causes that he has been in this business for t in three decades now,  and has come at par with great authors, keynote speakers, corporate educators, and business leaders and influencers in America and around the world.----------Connect with John via the following:Website: johnspence.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbspence----------52 Weeks of Me is hosted by Jacklyn Osborne and Erika Brooks. Check out our website -  www.52weeksofme.net or follow us on Instagram @fiftytwoweeksofme. For suggestions and comments, email us at fiftytwoweeksofme@gmail.com.

BIO: John Spence is an author, international executive coach, professional development educator, virtual trainer, strategic planning facilitator, keynote speaker, and developer of online learning programs. STORY: When John was a young CEO of one of the Rockefeller Foundations, he invested in the trappings of a CEO, such as big houses, boats, wines, artwork, etc., all in the name of impressing people. All these things were lost in days when Hurricane Andrew hit Miami. LEARNING: Don't let material things define you. The ultimate freedom is the freedom of mind. The accumulation of things is uncorrelated to happiness.   “Be grateful for everything you have now.”John Spence  Guest profilehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbspence/ (John Spence) is an author, international executive coach, professional development educator, virtual trainer, strategic planning facilitator, keynote speaker, and developer of online learning programs. John is recognized as one of the top business thought leaders and leadership development experts in the world and was named by the American Management Association as one of America's Top 50 Leaders to Watch, along with Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google and Jeff Bezos of Amazon. As a consultant and coach to organizations worldwide, from startups to the Fortune 10, John is dedicated to helping people and businesses be more successful by “Making the Very Complex… Awesomely Simple.” Worst investment everJohn became the CEO of one of the Rockefeller Foundations when he was 26 years old. This saw him earn a significant salary. John decided to use his earnings to invest in houses, boats, artwork, wine collections, and everything else that were the trappings of being the CEO of a multinational company. At a young age, John thought that those were the things that would impress other people. In 1989, Hurricane Andrew hit Miami and destroyed everything John owned. In just a matter of days, all his properties and belongings were gone. John had invested so much time, energy, effort, and ego in all that stuff, and it was all taken away in one day. Lessons learnedEven when you suffer a significant loss, stay focused on your values and remember that others have been through worse. Material things are lovely, but they don't define you. You're stronger than you think you are. Be grateful for everything you have now. Andrew's takeawaysThe ultimate freedom is the freedom of mind—the freedom to think and detach. The accumulation of things is uncorrelated to happiness. Actionable adviceLook at the things that are truly important and valuable in your life. No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsJohn's goal for the next 12 months is to learn more and meet more people. Parting words  “Just live by your values, treat other people with love and have fun.”John Spence  [spp-transcript]   Connect with John Spencehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbspence/ (LinkedIn) https://twitter.com/awesomelysimple (Twitter) https://www.facebook.com/johnspenceleadership/ (Facebook) https://www.instagram.com/johnspencespeaker/ (Instagram) https://www.youtube.com/user/flycasterjbs (YouTube) https://johnspence.com/ (Website) https://amzn.to/39BdVdd (Books) Andrew's bookshttps://amzn.to/3qrfHjX (How to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock Market) https://amzn.to/2PDApAo (My Worst Investment Ever) https://amzn.to/3v6ip1Y (9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them) https://amzn.to/3emBO8M (Transform Your Business with Dr.Deming's 14 Points) Andrew's online programshttps://valuationmasterclass.com/ (Valuation Master Class) https://academy.astotz.com/courses/how-to-start-building-your-wealth-investing-in-the-stock-market (How to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock Market) https://academy.astotz.com/courses/finance-made-ridiculously-simple (Finance Made Ridiculously Simple) https://academy.astotz.com/courses/gp (Become a Great Presenter and Increase Your Influence)...

Today's guest has made a career of making the very complex awesomely simple. He has spent the last three decades helping companies and people be more successful. He serves his clients as an executive coach, training facilitator, keynote speaker, and strategy advisor. Recognized as one of the top business thought leaders and leadership development experts […] The post OTS 278: Insatiable Curiosity – John Spence appeared first on Robbie Samuels.

Today's guest has made a career of making the very complex awesomely simple. He has spent the last three decades helping companies and people be more successful. He serves his clients as an executive coach, training facilitator, keynote speaker, and strategy advisor. Recognized as one of the top business thought leaders and leadership development experts in the world, he was named by the American Management Association as one of America's Top 50 Leaders to Watch along with Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google and Jeff Bezos of Amazon. He has been a guest lecturer at more than 90 colleges and universities, including MIT, Stanford, Cornell, and the Wharton School of Business. He has been the owner or CEO of five companies and currently serves as a board member or adviser to several organizations. Please join me in welcoming John Spence. In this episode we discuss: his thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is when you become a living example of what you hope your followers will one day become.” how being selected captain of his football team helped him establish himself as a leader. how he went from extreme success in high school to failing out of college. the three key points that changed the trajectory of his college career. his first job and becoming CEO of that organization shortly thereafter. the impact of his parents on his life and entrepreneurship goals. the three things he believes are the essence of excellence - focus, discipline, and action. the actions he takes to grow his network and stay connected with them. why doing things you enjoy is such an important trait in business. how he finds and chooses mentees and the assignment he gives each potential mentee. his thoughts surrounding adaptability and how important it is. an incredible statistic he learned about reading. Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com.

Want to become a better leader? Whether your job title is sales leader or sales professional we are all leaders who model the change we want to see in the world. This conversation with John Spence, a world-renowned leadership coach, distills decades of experience with some of the world's preeminent organizations into practical ways to become leaders that others will want to follow. This conversation is packed with inspirational and actionable ideas. You're going to want to grab a notepad and put these ideas into action to enhance your life. Are you a sales leader? We want to invite you to be a part of a new mastermind community for authentic sales leaders. Learn more at www.sellingfromtheheart.net/mastermind.

Today's guest has been called "The da Vinci of visionary leadership". Named among the top eight global experts in leadership and shortlisted for the Distinguished Award in Leadership by Thinkers50, he is a global thought leader, author, business educator, consultant, and C-suite coach. He is helping companies to create and execute their vision, and achieve superior business performance. You can find him on Global Gurus Top 30 in Leadership and is the #1 Global Leading Coach (Marshall Goldsmith Thinkers50). His research identifies entrepreneurs' and managers' strategic needs in the areas of leadership and helps leaders to become the masters of the future and achieve new levels of success. He is the author of five books including “The Vision Code,” “LEADEROLOGY,” and “Corporate Superpower.” Please join me in welcoming Oleg Konovalov. In this episode we discuss: his thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is not about solving for today. Leadership is defining what the future will be and how to lead people into that future.” Oleg's focus on thinking forward and how to unlock your mindset to be a better leader. why it's OK to be a troublemaker. his focus on being of service to those around him. why his favorite saying is “if you are the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room” and why that's important to him. Oleg's interesting take on accolades and awards vs. always working hard. his collaboration with his colleague, John Spence, who I will be interviewing in a future episode. Oleg's definition of coaching and why he only coaches people in specific topics. how he uses time zones to his advantage for connecting and engaging with others. how he nurtures and sustains the outer layers of his network.

John Spence and Mike Young of the EMP Task Force share tips for preparing for a Black Sky Hazard. Candidate Interview with Tonya Van Beber (Colorado Senate District 1). Bill of the Day is HB22-1295, Department Early Childhood And Universal Preschool Program.

John Spence and Mike Young of the Colorado Electromagnetic Pulse Task Force explain America's vulnerability to attack on its power grids and other critical infrastructure. Deb Flora presents her new movie, Whose Children Are they? Bill of the day is HB22-1282, The Innovative Housing Incentive Program.

In honor of Black History Month and as part of my mission to share unique and often untold American ska stories, this episode of Ska Boom Stories is dedicated to John Spence the original lead singer of No Doubt.Spence often gets short shrift whenever the story of No Doubt is told and regrettably his contribution to the band has been somewhat overlooked and slightly scrubbed from No Doubt's history. On the one hand I understand that because his story is a sad one. But the truth is that without Spence there might never have been a No Doubt. And I also think its important to make note of the important contributions of Black American musicians in helping to popularize a uniquely American version of ska.Ska Boom is hosted/co-produced by Marc Wasserman & co-produced/engineered by Rob George.Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. The law allows for use of music clips for purposes of criticism, comment, and news reporting.Part of Pantheon Podcasts.

In honor of Black History Month and as part of my mission to share unique and often untold American ska stories, this episode of Ska Boom Stories is dedicated to John Spence the original lead singer of No Doubt. Spence often gets short shrift whenever the story of No Doubt is told and regrettably his contribution to the band has been somewhat overlooked and slightly scrubbed from No Doubt's history. On the one hand I understand that because his story is a sad one. But the truth is that without Spence there might never have been a No Doubt. And I also think its important to make note of the important contributions of Black American musicians in helping to popularize a uniquely American version of ska. Ska Boom is hosted/co-produced by Marc Wasserman & co-produced/engineered by Rob George. Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. The law allows for use of music clips for purposes of criticism, comment, and news reporting. Part of Pantheon Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In honor of Black History Month and as part of my mission to share unique and often untold American ska stories, this episode of Ska Boom Stories is dedicated to John Spence the original lead singer of No Doubt. Spence often gets short shrift whenever the story of No Doubt is told and regrettably his contribution to the band has been somewhat overlooked and slightly scrubbed from No Doubt's history. On the one hand I understand that because his story is a sad one. But the truth is that without Spence there might never have been a No Doubt. And I also think its important to make note of the important contributions of Black American musicians in helping to popularize a uniquely American version of ska. Ska Boom is hosted/co-produced by Marc Wasserman & co-produced/engineered by Rob George. Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. The law allows for use of music clips for purposes of criticism, comment, and news reporting. Part of Pantheon Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we talked with author, consultant, and leadership coach John Spence and discussed the top 10 most important things that a leader needs to do to create a workplace culture where leaders and team members truly care for each other.John is recognized as one of the Top 100 Business Thought Leaders in America and the American Management Association named him one of America's Top 50 Leaders to Watch along with Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google as well as Jeff Bezos of Amazon.Join us as we learn the principles and practices John has found are proven to be successful among multiple organizations.If you would like to read the show notes on this episode you can find them on our website, Business Leadership Today:https://businessleadershiptoday.com/john-spence-on-building-a-high-performance-culture/ If you enjoyed this interview and would like to hear more interviews like this, be sure to subscribe to the podcast.Also, if you'd like to help other people benefit from this podcast, please take a minute to leave a review.By sharing your thoughts, you'll help the podcast reach more people and help those people make a decision regarding whether this podcast might be of value to them.

This week's episode is with John Spence who is recognised as one of the top business thought leaders and leadership development experts in the world and was named by the American Management Association as one of America's Top 50 Leaders to Watch along with Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google and Jeff Bezos of Amazon. John was the owner or CEO of six companies and currently serves as a board member or adviser to several organizations and executives. He is a guest lecturer at more than 90 colleges and universities including MIT, Stanford, Cornell, Wharton School of Business, University of Auckland, Canterbury University, University of Krakow and Kozminski University. 5 Golden Nuggets you will learn:  How your personal and business vision are correlated and intertwined?  Why business leaders forget about the key fundamentals and just focus on profits? How to deal with a business leader or management team that are resistant to change? How businesses can can speed up their decision making and take more action to achieve results? How to take more ownership and accountability  ABOUT THE GUEST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbspence/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnspenceleadership Twitter:https://twitter.com/AwesomelySimple Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/flycasterjbs ABOUT THE HOST This show is hosted by Adam Strong {AKA: The Game Changer} who is a Business Strategist, Former Elite Athlete, Author, Podcast Host and International Speaker Adam Strong. He currently runs 3 different businesses and enjoys working with business owners and entrepreneurs of small to medium sized companies. Adam is a Former Elite Athlete that trained with Olympic and World Champion Sir Mo Farah for 3 years. He takes the same skill-set that he learned as an elite athlete to teach his clients on how to create high performance, increased productivity and growth. He is the author of two books ‘Move it or lose it' and ‘Fit body fit business'. Both written for business owners and teams that want their businesses to excel and to accelerate faster, quicker and become more focused. Adam is co-authoring his third book due out in October 2021.  He has been featured on the front cover of Influential People, Global Man and Steer Magazines, BBC radio, the Huffington post and in People Management magazine just to mention a few. He has interviewed influencers and thought leaders such as Jack Canfield, Dr John Demartini, Bob Burg, Marshall Goldsmith, Olympic athletes and sports personalities such Neil Fachie, Jonathan Horton and Kate Strong. He has shared the stage with celebrities such as John Travolta, Vanilla Ice, Calvin Klein, 50 cent and Dr Nido Qubein. CONTACT METHOD Take our new Business Scalability Scorecard here Adam's LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/adamstrongofficial Pre-order Adam's new book 'Play the game' on Amazon: https://bit.ly/pre-order-play-the-game

Three fitness leaders have combined forces on an innovative approach to fitness for people over 50. Former industry executive Martin Pazzani and former owners of multiple Anytime Fitness locations John Spence and Michael Gelfgot are now on the verge of opening the first Act!vate Brain & Body in Cincinnati this fall. It will be the debut facility in the country that trains brain health and physical health at the same time, using science-backed techniques to fight off cognitive decline. They intend to scale it up in other cities, too.They couldn't be arriving at a better time, as more and more people live longer and dementia rates go up accordingly.But while Alzheimer's and other dreaded affiliations are most often associated with age, they are not inevitable byproducts of time, says the team behind Act!vate. And Alzheimer's organizations and medical professionals agree that lifestyle factors -- including exercise -- can play a role in minimizing the chances of getting it.The Act!vat setup is unique, combining novel resistance training, cardio workouts, and brain games all under one roof, in an instructor-led small group. The target age is 45 and up. It's designed to promote cognitive health, clear thinking, better memory and sleep, and more aspects of brain health that can become incapacitating later in life.This is really interesting stuff, and I'm excited to bring you my chat with Martin and John. I have a feeling we'll all be hearing a lot more about this as time goes on. Links and ResourcesAct!vate Brain & BodyNaamly -- Support our advertiser, who helps you keep in touch with your membersNew York Times article on older golfers“The Devil's Candy” podcastCatalina Crunch snack mix

John Spence is recognized as one of the top business thought leaders and leadership development experts in the world and was named by the American Management Association as one of America's Top 50 Leaders to Watch along with Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google and Jeff Bezos of Amazon. John was the owner or CEO of six companies and currently serves as a board member or adviser to several organizations and executives. He is a guest lecturer at more than 90 colleges and universities including MIT, Stanford, Cornell, Wharton School of Business, University of Auckland, Canterbury University, University of Krakow, and Kozminski University.

We are always in need of solid business advice. When you look at the business giants at Amazon and Fortune 50, do you wish to meet the man who coached them? We have him here. Meet John Spence, the think tank, the master business acumen coach. John is your guy when it comes to figuring out business ideas and strategies. Click the play button to dive in.

Dan Berger is an economist and leadership expert. He's also President the CEO of NAFCU, The National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions. There are some great hacks and lessons from Dan including: How focusing on culture and wellbeing drives results Why hiring slow and we firing fast stimulate the right attitude and supports aptitude Sharing more of who you are builds relationships (including on his Harley Davidson) Be thoughtful how people receive your communication especially electronically   Join our Tribe at https://leadership-hacker.com Music: " Upbeat Party " by Scott Holmes courtesy of the Free Music Archive FMA Transcript: Thanks to Jermaine Pinto at JRP Transcribing for being our Partner. Contact Jermaine via LinkedIn or via his site JRP Transcribing Services Find out more about Dan below: NAFCU Website https://www.nafcu.org Dan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/bdanberger/   Full Transcript Below ----more----  Steve Rush: Some call me Steve, dad, husband or friend. Others might call me boss, coach or mentor. Today you can call me The Leadership Hacker.   Thanks for listening in. I really appreciate it. My job as the leadership hacker is to hack into the minds, experiences, habits and learning of great leaders, C-Suite executives, authors and development experts so that I can assist you developing your understanding and awareness of leadership. I am Steve Rush and I am your host today. I am the author of Leadership Cake. I am a transformation consultant and leadership coach. I cannot wait to start sharing all things leadership with you.   Our special guest on today's show is Dan Berger. He's an economist, leadership expert and president the CEO of NAFCU, The National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions. But before we get a chance to speak with Dan, it's The Leadership Hacker News.   The Leadership Hacker News   Steve Rush: Most of us would agree that empathy is an essential ingredient in leadership. In my book, Leadership Cake, empathy is in fact the “E” in C.A.K.E. and the lack of this essential ingredient became a talking point on the 9th of February when it emerged in an article with the Guardian newspaper, calling out that KPMG boss and Chairman Bill Michael had urged staff to stop moaning about the effects of COVID-19 and get on with their jobs in a staff video called the previous day, recordings of which soon made their way online. Bill Michael had also gnashed his teeth at employers saying they were playing the victim card with regards to current working conditions and also rallied against his own firm's inclusion efforts by saying. “There's no such thing as unconscious bias, I don't buy it. Because after all, every single unconscious bias training this firm has ever done, nothing's ever improved.” How ironic is that? Huh? Shocked and confused and reverberated through KPMG's workforce. Mr. Michael issued an apology saying, I'm sorry for the words that I used, they did not reflect what I believed in. I have apologized to my colleagues looking after the wellbeing of our people and creating a culture where everyone can thrive is a critical importance to me and at the heart of everything this firm does. However, a few days later, he next his resignation, with a senior elected board member being a matter of replacing him as chair. Michael empathy gap sparked a significant amount of controversy across the world and across the press with Gemma McCall, head of a bullying prevention software firm called Culture Shift told the guardian. “Leaders really do need to take heed and exceed expectation when it comes to creating a safe and supportive environment for all employees.” News of Mr. Michael blunt embracing staff called coincided with the Financial Times publication of Redis feedback, highlighting a wave of pandemic burnout that has hit the papers audience of white-collar professionals. Based on anecdotal responses from 250 readers from around the world, the FT's piece laid bare the strain of the past year as employees trying to struggle with their work-life balance and often would their leader's responses not particularly well align.  A reader named Julie explained that she had suffered palpitations in the first 2020 lockdown compounded further by worries of her husband being stuck at work overseas. In addition, she wrote resources provided by her employer failed to address her workload saying. “I received no support or help for the projects I was expect to deliver, as strict deadlines and no extra time to deliver them.” When Julia herself eventually caught COVID-19. She had work through her illness and that situation that had to endure it protracted two-month recovery. So as leaders remember, people are our biggest asset and their health and wellbeing are essential to you. If you really want to drive great customer experiences, deliver revenue and grow your business. It's not unnice to have activity. Adjusting expectations, flexing the working day, extended deadlines and whatever can be done to make people's working loads a bit better and a bit more manageable should be top of any leader's agenda right now. So, if we find ourselves getting grumpy for not delivering the performance we expect from our team, it's important to take stock and recognize by stepping into the shoes of those that are working for us, truly understand their concerns and their experiences. Otherwise, we create our own empathy gap. And one thing we can be certain of. It seems like Bill Michael got that wrong, didn't he? That's been The Leadership Hacker News. If you have any stories, news, insights, please get in touch.   Start of Podcast   Steve Rush: Dan Berger is our special guest on today's show. He's the president and CEO of NAFCU, which is The National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions. He's proudly advocating for the $1.5 trillion dollar credit union industry in the U.S. along with its 122 million consumers. Dan is also an economist, a leadership expert and an author, but delighted that we have him on The Leadership Hacker Podcast. Welcome to the show Dan. Dan Berger: Thank you, Steve. My pleasure. Steve Rush: It's been a while since you and I last met. What I'm keen to really kind of understand from your perspective, and to get us a bit of a summary for our listeners is the backstory to how you've arrived at being the president and CEO of NAFCU. How did it all start for you and where did it all come from? Dan Berger: Where it all started was growing up in Gainesville, Florida, and just always was a political junkie, worked on political campaigns and in the U.S., politics is genuinely a who you know type of industry. And it just kind of builds upon itself and you get people elected to different positions. While there was on the local basis or state basis or the federal level. You start developing a pretty serious network. And the more people, you know, from a networking standpoint where you can educate elected officials or public officials, your value grows as an advocate. I was a lobbyist, I was hired as a lobbyist up here in Washington D.C. And then I was hired as the head lobbyist of NAFCU and then the board appointed me CEO seven years ago, and that's how I got this seat. Steve Rush: Awesome, and I guess what you do now requires an enormous amount of politics, but in a much more of a different sense; can you see the parallels from the traditional political sense that you've been in before to what you do now? Dan Berger: What I do now, it's an expanded role. It it's it like three-dimensional chess, it's that perfect convergence of policy and politics and business. Yes, there's the lobbying component, you know, lobbying the white house and the Congress and the relevant regulatory agencies. But there's also the business aspects of running a trade association. I mean, we're a $30 million dollar business. And so just because we're a nonprofit, we still have to have revenue and income to keep the lights on, so we can continue to advocate and educate you know, the public officials and the elected officials. So, it's just a perfect convergence. It's just no dull moment. Everything's exciting, especially now I'm sure everybody has seen it around the world. Steve Rush: Indeed. Dan Berger: What we have gone through in the United States in the last several weeks. One of the stranger environments I've ever been in, in my 30 years as a lobbyist. But no, it's been a very interesting couple of months. Steve Rush: And how that shape the landscape for the conversations you've been having with your members over the last, say three to six months with what's been happening politically as well as economically around the World?   Dan Berger: Yeah, from an advocacy standpoint, nothing's changed. We are a non-partisan organization. We have Republicans and Democrats and libertarians and socialists and everybody, we lobby everybody. We're (A) political in that standpoint. So, no matter who is in control of government or Congress or the Oval Office. We always have the ability to lobby, we're educators and we educate them on the effects of, you know, regulation or laws that they pass. So, it really doesn't matter who gets elected or who gets appointed. And so, we're always prepared from that standpoint. From an economic standpoint, things will change. Whether it's a tax policy you know, more regulatory burden for our members. Sometimes tends to occur under a democratic controlled Congress. So, it'd be interesting to see how that shape out, but we're prepared no matter what color, stripes are being elected. Steve Rush: I know from the last time that you and I spoke, you were really passionate about that whole disrupting the credit union space. Where did you start with that? And what's been the main thing that you've seen that's been the biggest disruption that you've bought about as a force of good? Dan Berger: For a force of good. We really want to focus on having the legislative and regulatory landscape. The environment being capable for the credit union industry to grow, because in turn the credit unions that I represent on the national level, they serve in turn 122 million American consumers. And so that's a lot of responsibility. So, you want to create an environment for these financial institutions to be able to serve. Whether it's a better FinTech and online banking, or, you know, less regulations. So, they don't have to spend all those resources, whether it's money, time, people. And on the regulatory side, that they can focus on truly helping their members and helping their communities. Steve Rush: If you at the world of credit unions, non-for-profits, versus the corporate America or the corporate world that we live in. What do you see as the things that are consistent, that you would see across all the businesses? And maybe what's the one thing from a leadership perspective that is really far out there and different from yours? Dan Berger: From a leadership perspective, we preach improving the culture. And I don't think it just for nonprofits or trade associations, I believe strongly a strong culture will work in the full profit realm as well. If you take care of your staff, if you focus on their wellbeing and having the tools and resources necessary to do their jobs well. In term, they help your members or help their customers or your customers really well. You got to focus on that culture. And when we talk about culture here at NAFCU in our organization, we talk about hiring for attitude and aptitude. We can get you the training, you can have the skillset, but if you're a jerk that does not feed into our culture, we want people with that passion and enthusiasm to help credit unions. Because they know where the best alternative in financial services, the best banking services are provided by credit unions. It's not the big banks, it's not the payday lenders or some of the other predatory lenders out there. It is institutions that were created to take care of the American consumer. And so, if you focus on culture, you take care of your employees in turn, they take care of your customer or your member Steve Rush: That whole passion and fire in the belly has been an interesting subject that lots of people have tried studying over the past, but it's one of those things that you can't really train. You can provide the right environment to flourish and grow and develop that passion. You can't actually train it. So how do you go about identifying that in potential recruits that you look forward to joining the organization? Dan Berger: We have a series of various questions, almost case studies or scenarios and how they react to those situations or those challenges or problems that have been presented to them, really dives down. It's not the initial question that you ask in a potential employee. It's usually the next follow-up question or two that you kind of drill down and get granular with. And you can almost hear those trigger phrases you know, that they respond back to you and you're like, you know what, that might not be a fit for our organization. And if you focus on hiring those with that passion and that enthusiasm to be a team player and to help row. Internally we have part of the review process, employee review process, we have what's called an organizational citizenship review that goes through, how do you play in the sandbox with your colleagues? And that kind of culture. I mean, it really makes a difference and, you know, Steve, you know people. You could give them a billion dollars and they will still be grumpy. There's just nothing you can do about it, it's the DNA. We just know people like that. And they tend to be a cancer on an organization. So, we work real hard. We hire slow and we fire fast. And so, we want the attitude and that aptitude, and it seems to work. We're not perfect by far from it, from any stretch. I think we're doing a pretty darn good job. But that focuses on our culture is what I think is really strive, has really allowed us to grow and be a better organization. Steve Rush: And you see that with the way that you've evolved as an organization too Dan. So, you're one of the early adopters if you like of that innovating space in the credit union space, where you're looking at FinTech's and innovation and new ways of working, is it different than if I'm in an organization where I have shareholders versus members, how do I encourage my membership that's the right thing to do with their money versus my shareholders? Dan Berger: No, I don't think it matters. The makeup of the organization, because if you focus on staff, your shareholders are taken care of, you know, your customers are taking care of. If you hire a group of employees that aren't passionate, that aren't enthusiastic about helping your company grow or helping your customers become better, it has an effect on the bottom line. It has an effect on the bottom line of in a nonprofit, it will definitely have an effect on the bottom line of a for-profit institution or company. When you walk into the lobby at NAFCU, we have a big sign on the wall, and it says our staff is our most valuable asset. And the thing about it is, you can't just put a sign in the lobby and just say that. Steve Rush: It's true. Dan Berger: It doesn't mean anything. It's like buzzwords, it's like sticking up those motivational posters around the office. It has to be authentic, the leader at the top, has to be the management team, really singing from the same song book of having that, you know, hey, we want people with really good attitudes and smart, and have the aptitude to learn. We want the enthusiasm and passion to make our company or our association stronger and better, but more importantly, help our members become better, help our customers become better. And in turn everybody benefits, it's that rising tide raises all ships kind of a theory. Steve Rush: Yeah, definitely so. So, from your perspective Dan. If we took a leadership lens over this, how do you think the role of a leader is going to change post pandemic as we come out of the way that we've done things in the last 12 weeks? Dan Berger: I think we're early adopters to teleworking here at NAFCU. And it's worked out really well. We pilot it and tested it and invested heavily in the digital infrastructure here. I like to say it was because we were pressing it for the pandemic, but it was actually done for weather related situation. When I became CEO, we had a five- or six-foot snow storm and it shut down all of Washington DC, that shut down NAFCU. And I was like, we can't do this. So, we need to invest in a digital infrastructure. We have to invest in the technology and the laptops and cameras and headsets and all that kind of stuff. My board of directors saw that vision and really was very supportive of making a substantial investment in it. And so, when the pandemic hit, I guess March 13th, we shut down. We pivoted and we were digital. We were virtual within 24 hours. And so, it worked out extremely well, where you saw a lot of companies and a lot of associations here in Washington DC that spent months trying to get up to speed, spent months researching and investing in the new technologies required. We were already willing to go and warring to go. Steve Rush: Great strategic thinking. Dan Berger: Sometimes, you know, luck is, you know, luck is a real thing, but, you know, the harder we work and then the more we strategize and try to be prepared, the more luck we seem to have. Steve Rush: Exactly, it's the old adage, isn't it? Dan Berger: Yes. Steve Rush: So, one of the things that made me chuckle the last time we met; you have this huge personality and energy that comes with you, Dan, by the way of which I'm sure our listeners are starting to get into, but the one thing that really made me chuckle, you've been known to turn up to your business meetings, riding your Harley Davidson, leaving your members aghast as to “here's this guy on a Harley and his leathers.” What kind of response do you get when that happens? Dan Berger: Sometimes it surprises some folks, but usually they not too surprise. But yeah, my wife and I went out to, we have a big motorcycle rally here in the States called Sturgis. And you have, you know, a million bikers show up in the small town in South Dakota. And what we did is we just rode around and visited credit union CEOs in a few of the States in the area. It was great. It was well received. It's a way for me to ride my motorcycle and to be genuine. It's who I am. I enjoy riding my Harley and the reception's been pretty positive. Steve Rush: Awesome, so what do you think the reason is that more of us don't do away with that tried and tested corporate image and be more of our authentic self? What do you think stops us doing that? Dan Berger: I think it stops some people from doing, and then I think you see people who've had tremendous success being authentic. You know, on your side of the park, Richard Branson. I mean, tremendous, he's very authentic. He, you know, walks around in his flip flops. Of course, it's in his private Island in the Caribbean. Steve Rush: Sure Dan Berger: But it's, you can be authentic. You can be genuine, but you still have to be professional. And I know when to be, you know, the Dan Burger on the Harley, but I'm also know when to, you know, put a sport coat on or the environment I need to show respect to an elected official or a public official and wear a tie. I think it's just common sense, but for me, it's who I am. I love to fly fish. I love to ride my motorcycle. And so that's authentic. It's just me. It's what I do. And occasionally I share that image and in terms of executives, there's kind of a borderistic urge for people to learn more about their leaders and the CEOs of companies and associations. And if you get a peak of your authentic self, I think that it helps with engagement and it helps with connection because there's others out there. Like, you know what? I always wanted to ride a motorcycle. I also ride a motorcycle or, you know what, I too love to go fly fishing. And so, there's that personal connection you've kind of developed as well. Steve Rush: Yeah. I think the pandemic has also helped with that, hasn't it? The fact that we narrow Zoom in or MS Team in or whatever medium you use. There's an opportunity here to show a bit more of yourself and, you know, your study at home or your kitchen or your lounge, and that in itself creates that intimacy that perhaps has been lacking in the past. Dan Berger: Yeah, it's kind of a double edge sword and it's like, yeah, you can create, you know, a view into people's kitchens or their dining room. I've actually set up a studio in my house, in my office. It looks exactly like the one I have here at our headquarters. Just to eliminate that. So, it looks a little more professional, but we also talk about it, you know, know your audience, you know, there's times that you can, you know, wear a hoodie and be very casual and stuff, but here, hey, we're a business casual organization and just use your best judgment. And so, we've had that discussion, because there've been instances where someone's wearing a torn-up sweatshirt, you know, and it's not an appropriate attire from that standpoint. Yeah, you want to wear a sweatshirt? Wear one that's, you know, nice. You know, so you convey a professionalism. Just because you're on Zoom and it's a relatively informal presentation or informal video conference call. You still have to do it through a filter of, you know, let's be professional because your image is the image of the organization. So, it kind of does matter. But you know, it's all part of the new Zoom, Microsoft Teams environment. Steve Rush: It is, for sure. So, what's next on the agenda for you and for NAFCU? Dan Berger: Well, for us, we have a new president (in the US), as you know, we have a new Congress that is, Democrats are in control of both chambers of Congress. And so, all the appointments of all the regulatory agencies that we are concerned about and that we work with very closely, they're all getting new staff and stuff like that. So, for us, so we're been already talking for months now with the transition team of President Biden administration and that'll continue to go, we've got new members of Congress we're talking to, we've already had meetings with the White House, you know, meetings with folks on Treasury, The Federal Reserve, The NCUA or Prudential Regulator. And so, all those meetings continue to happen. It doesn't happen in the environment that I like, because it's done on Video conference calls. I much rather have a meeting in person. Because you just get that feedback. I quite frankly enjoy interactions with my fellow human beings and to do it, you just can't really do it appropriately. I don't think in develop really close relationships online or on video conference calls. It's a good way to maintain a relationship I guess, but I think you can't, be an in-person contact, Steve Rush: So, you're going to have a busy summer on the Harley? Then I sense. Dan Berger: Yeah, typically I travel about a hundred thousand miles a year. Of course, last year rose, probably one 10th of that and you know, planes, trains, automobiles, and occasional donkey. And of course, my Harley, I like to get out and see the CEOs of our credit unions and see the members because you get the feedback. And quite frankly, they spend a lot of money to be members of our association and they deserve that high touch. We got all the high tech and that we talked about earlier, but that high touch, to be out there to be seen, to find out what's keeping them up at night and how we can be of help. That's just done in a much better environment when we see them in person. Steve Rush: Yeah, so this part of the shows where I get to turn the lens on you and hack into your great leadership mind. So, where I'd like to go first Dan, is to just explore. If you could distill all your years of experience into your top three hacks, what would they be? Dan Berger: Take care of your staff, invest in the technology so your staff can be more effective and inefficient and then probably lastly, take time off. That's probably the biggest thing I've learned throughout my career that almost all the successful leaders that I talked to, that I read about that I learned from, they all take time off. And then for me, that's fly fishing, for me, that's riding on my Harley. It's me spending time with my wife and daughter, but that last component. I work long hours as you do. And a lot of the leaders and CEOs that are listening to this, but you have to take that time off. You have to re-energize and I feel great when I come back after a weekend of riding my motorcycle or fishing. I'm rejuvenated, I'm raring to go. Those are part of the top three that I mentioned. Steve Rush: Yeah, great. It's interesting, the last one you mentioned Dan. So, we run a program where we get people to think of themselves as corporate athletes. And if you think of the premise of an athlete, track and field or whatever discipline you have, they always, always, always after the event, will take time out and recover. Yet, it seems that it's only recently that our global corporate life and this whole philosophy of recovery seems to play in, and it's not a reward. This is an absolute essential activity to be a successful leader in the future, right? Dan Berger: Yeah, and I would add a fourth to that Steve. I would say exercise, I think you have to not only put your mental state and have some self-care involved in relaxing and taking some time off and getting some downtime and, you know, putting in your smartphone in the drawer and just deep disconnecting for a while. But you have to exercise as well on a regular basis. I lift weights and my wife and I walk two or three times a week, but that kind of stuff's extremely important as well. I think it's a full experience of being a leader. You have to continue to want to learn. I mean, I'm reading new books all the time as you do, I know, and news articles, I'm always constantly trying to be a sponge and learn new things then reinforce things I may have forgot or reinforce things I knew, but haven't thought of in quite some time, but yeah, I think comparing it to athletes is spot on. Steve Rush: Awesome, so the next part of the show we've affectionately become familiar with is called Hack to Attack. So, this is where typically something hasn't worked out well, it could be personal or work, but as a result of the experience going south, you've taken a learn from that and it's now positive in your life and your work. So, what would be your Hack to Attack? Dan Berger: How I communicate and I had an executive coach earlier in my tenure named John Spence. He's an author and he is a business. Steve Rush: I know John very well. He's been on our show too. Dan Berger: Oh, terrific. Well, John from our hometown of Gainesville, Florida. But he was my executive coach and he still helps us and helps me, but he really helped me with my communication and I'm an extrovert and I'm high energy and I'm go, go, go. Sometimes I'll have a tendency unintentionally not to come across. I'll be direct, I got so much stuff on my to-do list. I'm going to check off each day and everything. I have a tendency sometimes to come across blunt or direct, and I don't mean for it to be, but you have to put yourself in the other person's chair, you're receiving it. Also, I got this one-line sentence, hey, where are we on the XYZ project? And it's like, not a hello, not a good morning. You know, it was just, hey, I got a lot of stuff to do. Just give me the answer so I can get on with my day. And I learned early on that EQ in your communication matters and I've got EQ throughout everything else and aspects of my leadership and management style. But my email communication, I had to really transform and spend a little time, you know, you do it. I manage by walking around, this whole environment is really kind of messed up for me, but we celebrate little victories and large victories and high fives and fist bumps, but you can't really do that electronically. And so how people receive your communication specially electronically matters. And that really helped me a lot because I still have to work at it. I still have to take a deep breath before I hit send to make sure that it's okay. Not because of the content of it per se, with the issue or topic I'm trying to get answered, but just the approach to it. I work on it every day, Steve, every single day. Steve Rush: The fact that it's conscious for you is really quite healthy because we're all innately built in a certain way. And we've created habits and behaviors that are innate. And yet, sometimes we need to make sure that we get rid of some of those things that don't serve us well, but we play on the things that do. And as long as we're conscious about that, we'll be successful. Dan Berger: I agree completely. Steve Rush: Dan you let us into the secret. Where was the moment that you thought I need to fix this? Has there been a belter of an email you've sent somebody that you've thought oh-oh? Dan Berger: No, it was an employee survey. Steve Rush: Which is the best way to get any feedback, of course, because it comes in volumes then as well, doesn't it? Dan Berger: Oh, it really does. And you got to have it. And they're right. And it's not intentional and it's not me being gruff or I'm being grumpy and we all have those kinds of days. And I understand that it's just at the time, it just so much on my plate. I'm trying to check all this stuff off. I want some information on certain things we're working on so I can give it to our board of directors, let's say, and it's just, you know, you can spend another minute or two and drafted an email, say, hey, good morning, Cassie. Appreciate your work on this. Can you give me an update and where we are? Are we still on target to hit the 5:00 PM, Friday deadline? Let me know, thanks. It's the same email. It took you 60 seconds longer to type it and it makes them feel appreciated and in turn, all part of the entire culture we're trying to create here. We're a fast-growing company. Our bus runs fast. We talk about it. We want to make sure the right person is on the bus. The right person is in the right seat on the bus. You have to take a deep breath and say, hey, how I'm communicating with people, put yourself in that chair. Okay, you're a 24-year-old, young lady, young man. And the CEO of the organization just fired off one sentence question to you. How would you like that or not like that? I mean, and it scares some people you know, we all have insecurities. And so why magnify that for some poor colleague of yours, that makes no sense. And so, I have to work on that. Steve Rush: Yeah. So, the last thing we're going to do with you today Dan. Is give you a chance to do some time, travel and bump into Dan at 21, and you get to give them some advice. So, what would your advice to Dan be? Dan Berger: I think who tried to become 1% better every day. I think when we're young, we have a tendency to have these really huge goals and want to hit grand slams and everything. But if you just get incrementally better every day, say 1% every day, those small improvements over a period of time or more satisfying, they have longevity, and I think that's the part in it. It took me probably into my thirties to genuinely understand that. And I try to do that now, whether it's, you know, reading, I got a news aggregator, I read every morning on my treadmill. I read the news; I'm trying to gather all the information so I can be better executive. I read leadership and management books on a regular basis. So, I can become a better supervisor or a better leader just that 1% every day. What did I do today? Become 1% better in any aspect, as a husband, as a father of a 16-year-old daughter, I'm trying very hard to become 1% better all the time. That's what I would have told my 21-year-old. Steve Rush: Yeah, that's great advice. It's the laws of marginal gains, isn't it? Dan Berger: Yeah, it really is. And it's really helped me focus. Because everybody, especially in this environment, now, Steve, as you know, it's just the instant gratification and the pat on the back and the awards and everything else you get when you hit those grand slams and stuff. But I have found the one precent theory gives you bigger rewards and more success than really focusing on those big, big projects and big challenges and awards and stuff. It seems to multiply itself even faster and further and has more longevity. Steve Rush: Yeah, I agree. So, Dan, if folk want to find out a little bit more about the work that you do with NAFCU or indeed find out a little bit more of how they can connect with you and learn from your leadership lessons, where's the best place for us to send them when we're done? Dan Berger: Oh, nafcu.org and of course on LinkedIn at Dan Berger and love to hook up with anybody that's listening. Steve Rush: Awesome, we'll make sure that we put links to NAFCU in our show notes, as well as your LinkedIn profile, so folks can head straight over. Dan Berger: Thank you, Steve. Steve Rush: Dan, listen, it's been absolutely brilliant chatting. You are a passionate guy and I've loved the times that we've spoken together. And you know, if you can continue to just grow 1% between now and the next hundred days, what a wonderful place this world will be. So, thank you for being on The Leadership Hacker Podcast. Dan Berger: Thank you, Steve. You're a gentleman and a scholar. Have a great 2021.   Closing Steve Rush: I genuinely want to say heartfelt thanks for taking time out of your day to listen in too. We do this in the service of helping others, and spreading the word of leadership. Without you listening in, there would be no show. So please subscribe now if you have not done so already. Share this podcast with your communities, network, and help us develop a community and a tribe of leadership hackers. Finally, if you would like me to work with your senior team, your leadership community, keynote an event, or you would like to sponsor an episode. Please connect with us, by our social media. And you can do that by following and liking our pages on Twitter and Facebook our handler there @leadershiphacker. Instagram you can find us there @the_leadership_hacker and at YouTube, we are just Leadership Hacker, so that is me signing off. I am Steve Rush and I have been the Leadership Hacker.    

Bill Flynn is the Chief Catalyst at Catalyst Growth Advisors; he's a coach, mentor and author of the number one Amazon bestselling book, Further Faster. In this, our special 50th Episode, you can learn about: Why creating a compelling vision allows others to follow Why some businesses succeed while others fail How the biggest reason for failure is success Neuroleadership is a critical skill for 21st century leaders Join our Tribe at https://leadership-hacker.com Music: " Upbeat Party " by Scott Holmes courtesy of the Free Music Archive FMA Transcript: Thanks to Jermaine Pinto at JRP Transcribing for being our Partner. Contact Jermaine via LinkedIn or via his site JRP Transcribing Services Find out more about Bill Flynn below: Catalyst Growth Advisors Website - www.catalystgrowthadvisors.com Further Faster (Book) Bill on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/billflynnpublic/ Bill on Twitter – https://twitter.com/whfjr   Full Transcript Below ----more---- Steve Rush: Some call me Steve, dad, husband or friend. Others might call me boss, coach or mentor. Today you can call me The Leadership Hacker.   Thanks for listening in. I really appreciate it. My job as the leadership hacker is to hack into the minds, experiences, habits and learning of great leaders, C-Suite executives, authors and development experts so that I can assist you developing your understanding and awareness of leadership. I am Steve Rush and I am your host today. I am the author of Leadership Cake. I am a transformation consultant and leadership coach. I cannot wait to start sharing all things leadership with you.   Welcome to our 50th episode. I can't believe that we're already halfway to a century of Leadership Hacker Podcast, so thank you everybody who's been part of that. So, Bill Flynn is our special guest on episode 50, he's the chief catalyst at Catalyst Growth Advisors. He's over 30 years' experience working with hundreds of different companies, including lots of start-ups. But before we get a chance to speak with Bill, it's not The Leadership Hacker News. Instead, today we're going to do something a little bit different. I'm going to introduce you to Jermaine Pinto from our production team. And Jermaine has been absolutely inspirational to help us on our journey with the 50 episodes. So, hey Jermaine, say hello to our listeners.   Jermaine Pinto: Good day listeners. Nice to meet you all. I'm really excited, and Steve congratulations on that 50 episodes.   Steve Rush: Thank you, my man, I really appreciate it. And for those of you that are not familiar with Jermaine's accent, he's in Jamaica and that's the wonders of the remote world that we work in. We can have remote team working all over the place. So, Jermaine, I just wanted to say from my perspective and behalf of the listers, thank you for being part of our team on this journey. And over the course of our 50 episodes, there must be a few of those episodes that really ring a bell. And there must be some learning as I've had out of this. But from your perspective, what would you say has been the best part of being involved in the journey that we've been on?   Jermaine Pinto: Always hearing the guest stories, their background stories. Those are always interesting; those are always motivating. Especially some who have start from basically nothing and build their way up. Some who have accomplished a lot and still manage to start all over, no matter the age, that is always great to hear.   Steve Rush: Yeah, the backstory is really fascinated me because there's been no two guests, right? That have the same backstory.   Jermaine Pinto: Exactly.   Steve Rush: They come from different backgrounds, different experiences, and they all bring great learning and inspiration to others to get on that journey too, right?   Jermaine Pinto: Yes, correct.   Steve Rush: So, who of the 50 shows has been the most inspirational for you?   Jermaine Pinto: I have two right here, Steve. And before I introduce the second one, my first one who be, you Steve.   Steve Rush: Aww, Jermaine, you're such a softy. Thank you so much.   Jermaine Pinto: Steve I have to say thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your team. It was actually March 3rd 2020.   Steve Rush: Yeah.   Jermaine Pinto: You reach out to me to do episode two with David Marquet.   Steve Rush: Yeah.   Jermaine Pinto: Yeah, and that was an amazing episode. And since then, I have been on this journey with you, and now it's 50-episode, wow! that's amazing.   Steve Rush: It is, yeah. Thank you so much. I really appreciate that man. Jermaine Pinto: You are welcome. And the second one will have to be Michelle Boxx, The Blonde Fixer. She is just so vibrant. She's is just so cool, energetic. And I just love her. Steve Rush: Yeah, good.   Jermaine Pinto: Yeah, so what about you Steve?   Steve Rush: Wow. You know, like you Jermaine, I try to find two or three people out of the over 50 guests that we've had on the show. Really tough, right? But there are three that really stick out for me. So, I guess in order of episodes, episode 29, a good friend, Eric Chasen, you know, this is a guy who lost his fiancé, tragically. Subsequently his mum passed away all the while his businesses were collapsing around him, but managed to find that, you know, real grit, resilience, and determination and get back not only to be successful, but to be a millionaire and retire incredibly early. That was a great, great inspirational story. Amber Hurdle, episode 40. Teen mum to superstar business woman and podcaster herself. Another great inspiration for anybody who listened to that. And I guess the one that really kind of moved me emotion actually was Nathanael Zurbruegg.   Jermaine Pinto: Agree.   Steve Rush: He was on episode 30, right? So, this is a guy who has suffered much more than most of us would suffer. You know, he was told by his practitioners, he should have been dead six times over and still to this day, whilst he still suffers with chronic illnesses, still inspires and works and inspires others to change their lives. And I think, wow, what a great guy. And that's all, you know, coming from a place of helping others. And I think that's just amazing.   Jermaine Pinto: Yeah, you're right Steve and I can tell the listeners that I'm actually one of the biggest fan, of the show. I look forward to hearing these stories every week. Most episodes I will listen to treat the three to four times to be honest.   Steve Rush: Yeah. And, you know, fortunately we get to hear all of these stories before our listeners do. So, we're in a really privileged position to get all that.   Jermaine Pinto: That's always a plus.   Steve Rush: Yeah, so if you think about how many hacks we've had on the show, we've had hundreds and hundreds of fabulous ideas and tips and tools and inspiration. If you had to kind of maybe think of one or two that resonate with you the most Jermaine, what would they be? Jermaine Pinto: I actually have three and I'm going back to my favourite person again, Michelle Boxx, The Blonde Fixer. When she said facilitate feedback from your teammate. She is one hundred, spot on with that one. We can all relate to that. The second one would be from episode 9, John Spence.   Steve Rush: Yeah.   Jermaine Pinto: When he said lead with your gut, you can never go wrong with that.   Steve Rush: Absolutely, and John was another inspirational guest too. Wasn't he? This is a guy who reads over a hundred books a year and has done for 20 years.   Jermaine Pinto: Honestly Steve, I was blown away by that. A hundred books, I'm like, wow!   Steve Rush: Yeah.   Jermaine Pinto: This guy's on top of his game.   Steve Rush: Sure thing.   Jermaine Pinto: And the last one it'd be from Ira Wolfe from episode 49, growth mindset. Throughout the almost 50 episodes, mindset was one thing that was always said by most guests.   Steve Rush: Yeah   Jermaine Pinto: Mr. Wolfe expound on that and try new things. Don't be afraid to fail or make mistake, and he is absolutely right by that.   Steve Rush: Yeah, I agree.   Jermaine Pinto: And so, Steve, I know you pretty much have a lot of hacks, so what would be your, maybe best three?   Steve Rush: So, I've gone back over my notes and I've gone back over the show notes. And there were three things, actually the present themselves where they keep repeating from many guest's time and again. Then they're also things that I share. So, I guess the first thing is journaling presents itself a lot, doesn't it? So, you know, taking that time in the morning and night to really set out what your plans are for the day, how you can be thoughtful, how you can demonstrate gratitude and self-love, and self-worth that presents self a lot. Meditation, you know, is interesting, that keeps coming up. And it's something that I do every morning. So, I meditate every single morning before I look at emails, before I look at work before, look at anything. And that's now a core habit of mine. That is a key tenant in how I do things. A lot of our guests share meditation as a way to get into that zone. And the other thing that presents itself is mentoring. All the while we've been speaking to our guests, having a good mentor, having somebody they can rely on. Having somebody that they can kick the leaves around with is a real core attribute of all of our guests and anybody who's been successful. And I guess those are three things that really present themselves to me.   Jermaine Pinto: And I would agree, especially the last one there Steve, Mentoring. I have never had a mentor, till you could see now, which is again, use Steve. Those one-on-one meetings that we have, where I would bounce ideas off of you. It's really great to have someone that you can share with and you can also get their experience.   Steve Rush: You're right, your absolutely right. So, Jermaine, thanks for being on the show. Thanks for being part of our journey and behind the scenes and not often getting the recognition, I think you deserve. And hopefully our listeners will listen to this and connect with you through LinkedIn and your other mediums as well. So, cheers to the next 50, right?   Jermaine Pinto: And let's say here to a next thousand.   Steve Rush: Wow, yeah, why not? Absolutely. Let's think big.   Jermaine Pinto: That's how big we are going with this one.   Steve Rush: You're right. Okay, so let's get back to the show. This hasn't been The Leadership Hacker News, but of course, as always, if you do have an insights, news or stories you think our guests could hear, let's get in touch with either me or Jermaine my man.   Start of Podcast Steve Rush: Our special guest on today's show is Bill Flynn. He's the chief catalyst at Catalyst Growth Advisors. He's a coach, mentor and author of the number one, Amazon bestselling book, Further, Faster. Bill, welcome to the show.   Bill Flynn: Hey Steve, great to be here. You know, they say good things come to those who wait. So, it's good to finally make this happen.   Steve Rush: Our listeners won't know that you and I have been waiting for probably four or five months, to get a hook-up and get together having spoken originally. So, looking forward to having a great conversation with you today, but for those that don't know your backstory, maybe just give us a little summary as to how you've arrived at leading Catalyst Advisors.   Bill Flynn: Sure, I'll do the quick version. So, I sort of had two arcs to my career if you will. I'm a start-up guy, early on. I'm not a founder, but I'm generally the person who comes in and helps on the scaling side. So sales marketing, that kind of stuff. I did 10 of those from 1991 through about 2015. And depending on how you count my contribution, I'm either 5 for 10 or 5 for 7 because there were 3, I left. Either they went out of business or actually I think all of them went out of business or got acquired by someone else. And then around 2015, I sort of said, what do I want to do? I had an opportunity to really reflect a little bit, I think I was just in my early fifties and I had an experienced at one of the start-ups that allowed me to basically become a coach, not knowing it at the time, of course, because I wasn't smart enough to know what I was doing.   Steve Rush: Right.   Bill Flynn: But I really remembered that experience. And I kind of said, how do I get more of that? I wanted that feeling of really being able to teach people how to fish, so to speak. So, I looked around, I looked at, I don't know, six or seven different kinds of methodologies if you will. And I had sort of made my own in that experience that I mentioned earlier, I didn't really have the confidence in, so I've never really been a CEO or a Founder. I wanted to have something that I could feel sort of backstopped me and my credibility. So, I picked one out of all the things that I looked at and began doing that around middle 2016. It's really when I go through certification and all that kind of stuff and learning and such.   And I've been a coach for four or five years, what do I do as a coach? I'm a leadership team coach. I don't do executive coaching necessarily, although it sort of is an off shoot of what I do. And what that means is I teach this framework, which I've modified a little bit from my experience and my research, but basically, it's a framework on three things, which we'll get into a little bit on my book of how to really build a healthy and thriving organization. There is a way to do it and it's been done over and over and over again, yet, most people don't know how to do it. We, do it differently and the stats show that the way we do it isn't necessarily the best way to do it. So, I'm about teaching people how to do that. So that's sort of my backstory.   Steve Rush: Awesome, and given the environment that we've been in over the last 12 months or so, how have you seen the role as leaders and teams change from your perspective?   Bill Flynn: I don't think they've changed that much, at least on how you should be a good leader. And we should probably describe leader because people have different definitions of leader. To me, a leader is someone who has followers more than anything. It's doesn't' necessarily mean you're in a position of authority because that's different. You can have authority and not be a leader. Leadership is, I'm a big fan of Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall a bunch of other folks. I'm a bit of a contrarian. I don't actually don't think leadership is a thing. I know it's a $15 billion dollar industry around the world, but there's no real definition of leadership, that's the same. Everyone has their own version.   Steve Rush: I agree.   Bill Flynn: But the thing that I've found, two or three things that I found that permeate and really flow through all of those things. One is what I mentioned is if you're a leader, you have followers and followership is really, I think the thing and followership is something that is voluntary, it's given. You, can't say, I'm your leader. People have to say, you're my leader. I choose you to be my leader. I choose to follow you. So, you have to give them a vision, a compelling vision, right? Because if you want to have someone follow you, you have to say, here's where we're going. Follow me here. And then lastly, I think you have to have courage. And that's the only attribute that, you know, they say humility and integrity and charisma and all this stuff. And, you know, I looked at that stuff and it's really different across leaders. You know, Gates is different than Malali is different than Jobs is different than Ballmer is different than the Della. They're all different.   You know, Buffet is a different kind of leader, but they're leaders, people follow them for some reason. But I think you have to have courage. You have to courage to be able to give up, right? make it about them and not you and risk some of that. You also have to have courage to follow that vision. A lot of people are going to tell you your vision isn't right. You have to have courage to do that. There's a lot of things you have to do. So, I think those three things really make the leader. So, if you do that as a leader, then I don't think it matters much except the platform that you have on how you use it. If you communicate well and you make it about them, and you care about these folks and you and I talked previously about really great leaders in the pandemic and what have they done, they made it about the other people. They said, look, I don't know everything. I'm going to gather information. But we're going to keep you informed. I'm going to make it so simple for you to understand. I'm going to tell you where we're headed and I'm going to ask you to sort of follow along. And those that did a really good job at that did a much better job so far in controlling the virus with COVID-19 and those people who didn't do that, or aren't doing that, we're noticing it. And we're now saying, wow, you're not really as good a leader as we thought you were because we're in trouble and we've got stark differences across the world on who's doing good job and who's not. So, I think that's what's changed, meaning we've seen it. But I think those that are really good leaders haven't changed their style at all. They've been doing the same thing. It's now noticed that it's more effective.   Steve Rush: And like you, I think leadership is a behaviour, It's not a thing, It's not a job. It's just,  the way that you behave to encourage people around you to feel that safety and that courage to come on a journey with you. If we think about those organizations that will survive for the future versus those that weren't, what do you think the main reasons will be between the two?   Bill Flynn: Cash, I mean, that's really been apparent is that those people who have really understood how to generate cash or have cash in reserve, have been able to do things. Because if you have that, you know, cash is fuel. Most people I ask them sort of, you know, what's the purpose of business and they all make it about money. And I said, really, it's not really about money, is it? I mean, cash is fuel for your business, but your business should be about something else and you need the money to fuel the thing, right? You know, we don't buy cars in order to buy fuel. You know, we don't get a house in order to heat it, you know, and have electricity or whatever. It has a larger purpose, and I think too many leaders and runners of companies focus much more on that.   So, I think, you know, the ones that can come out of this really, of course, are solving a problem worth solving. It's certainly, it's more of a crucible now, right? That we're focused on just a few things. Those that were doing it already, you know, the US stock market is driven by five companies right now, that's it. You know, we go up and down based on Apple, Google, Facebook, I missed one. And I think that's what we're seeing. If you weren't doing that, if you're not empathetic and compassionate for your customers and really understanding what their struggles are, then they're just not going to pay attention to you because they're pay attention to so many different things right now. So those two things, you got to have either access to cash or ways to generate cash. So, you can ride out this stuff. If you can't, then you have to be, I think compassionate, like Bob Chapman who runs, Barry Well Meyer who have several times, through to the 2008 crisis, you know, he lost 30% of his business, the entire group, and he could have laid people off and he never did, but he asked people to sacrifice for each other and they did. And they actually took things upon themselves. So, if you create that environment, that culture, that atmosphere, and you have the cash to be able to weather stuff like this, then you'll always be able, I shouldn't say you will always, you'll have a much, much better chance of being able to survive things like this. Cause this is, you know, this is horrible and it's different than the last two, but we've already had three crises like this in the last 20 years, right. We've had 9/11, especially in the US.   Steve Rush: Yeah   Bill Flynn: We've had 2008 and now we've had this, there's going to be another one. And statistics say every six to eight years, there'll be another downturn of some kind of some magnitude. You need to be prepared for. If you can do that, then you'll survive most things.   Steve Rush: What do you think the reason is Bill in your experience, that leaders don't put cash in that same category as other things that they would maybe plan for and think about?   Bill Flynn: Because we are enamoured growth, we were enamoured of top line growth. Revenue is vanity, and I'm sorry, but we are egotistic animals. And we like vanity, we like the social aspect and the emotional aspect of being seen as doing something important. And we measure and value revenue and revenue is vanity. You know, there's a great saying revenue is vanity, profit is sanity and cash is king, and that's true. I think revenue is great for bragging to your brother-in-law or telling a reporter how great you've done. But if you see revenue as the financial metric to measure your success, you're picking the wrong one, and that's what you do. And then you say, oh, we need to grow. So, we need to, we need to sort of take this risk with this money. A lot of the time it works out, but sometimes like this, it doesn't. And that's what you're seeing. Unfortunately, going out of business for completely unique to this pandemic, but many of them are going out of business because the light has been shown on them.   Steve Rush: Yep.   Bill Flynn: And we're seeing that they're just not very well-run companies underneath.   Steve Rush: So all of your learning and your career along with all of the start-ups and experiences you pulled together, you wrote the book Further, Faster. What was the inspiration for the book?   Bill Flynn: There were two things. There was an external inspiration, which were my coaching, colleagues and friends and my clients. When I say stuff, they'd look at me like it was different, right. They sort of said my perspective on things was unique to them. And I looked at it as, you know, my perspective isn't any different anyone else's, all the stuff that you and I do are based upon people that aren't alive anymore. You got Drucker and Deming and Shine and all these guys, and now we've got, of course Lencioni and Collins and Sinek. But we're just regurgitating the same stuff over and over again. There's not a lot new here. So, I was surprised, and I said, okay, well, that's interesting.   And the second was internal, which is. Having been through 10 start-ups and, you know, that's just almost masochistic, right? I just really found that it's a shame that really good people, really good leaders, really good businesses and really good ideas just fail or struggle for completely preventable reasons. There is a way to run a very healthy and thriving organization. There're some other factors involved, but it's been proven over and over again for decades, if not longer. And we just seem to ignore it. We go back to conventional wisdom and intuition and, you know, I'm all for intuition, but there's something called a gut check, right? It's fine, go with your gut, but check it, make sure it's right. And make sure that there's data supporting what you're doing, at least in terms of the fundamentals of running your business. We don't do that enough, data shows that there's two sets of data, at least in US, that I've seen. There are basically the same, one is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and one from The Small Business Administration. If you start a business in 1994, you had a 50% chance of making it to 1999, five years, 50%. It was like a flip of a coin. But if you made it to 15, there are only 25% of the people that did that. And if you want to get to 20 or 25, it's 16. So, the longer you're in business, the less likely it is that you're going to stay in business, which is just a shame. And I know people choose and they retire or opt out or whatever, but even if you took those out, I don't think that that curve would change that much. And I want to do my best to help at least a small corner of the world that I'm in to not have that happen to them.   Steve Rush: Do you think that's complacency that causes that curve to narrow towards the longer period of time?   Bill Flynn: There's a saying that one of the biggest reasons for failure is success. Is that, you know, you think because you were successful before that everything in the future that you do will be successful, and that's true. I've seen that, you know, this is called Fonda Riotous in the start-up world, and I've worked with lots of folks and yeah, they just sort of feel like they can do no wrong and trying to guess what a massive people value and will pay you for. And then also be able to run an organization of completely crazy people. You know, we're crazy, right? People are nuts, people are impulsive, we're irrational, we just are. So be able to do that over and over again. If you can do that over and over again, you're pretty rare. And thinking that just the way you did it before is going to happen again, is wrong because the mix is different. Every time the mix is different and you got to be able to work from first principles. I'm a first principles guy. If you can figure out your first principles and go from there, then you can sort of bob and weave and figure out as you go, how to apply those principles. And, and we don't do that. We put our head down and we work and we never look out, you know, we don't predict the future as much as we should. And I think that's one of the reasons why we just say, oh, well, I'm really good at this. And we get comfortable and we just keep making the decision. And we think because we're making all these decisions where the answer, man, that it's good and it's not, you know, I keep telling my leaders, you need to fire yourself from the day-to-day, that's your job. Once you get through that knothole of figuring out and have some predictability and scalability of your business, you need to get rid of all of your day-to-day work as much as you possibly can, because your job is to figure out the next two, three, four years, not the next couple of quarters.   Steve Rush: Yeah, in your book, you focus on this quite a bit around specifically the CEO or the boss; they must fire themselves from their day-to-day work. And it's a really interesting philosophy because I bumped into somebody just recently, who has been a start-up engine, if you like for about three or four different organizations, but never been the CEO, because they're just not great CEOs, but in the leadership space, what would be the reason you would encourage CEOs to think metaphorically around firing themselves?   Bill Flynn: Well, so here's the deal, right? If you're going to grow your business, you have to predict the future and predicting the future is about innovation and creation and insight. And so, I asked this question, I'll ask of you to view is when do you get your best ideas, Steve, what are you doing?   Steve Rush: Daydreaming, thinking, walking, at the gym, but not at work.   Bill Flynn: Not at work and actually, I would say, you're not actually thinking maybe you're different than most, but most people it's, they're not thinking. They're actually letting their brain rest.   Steve Rush: Right.   Bill Flynn: A little bit, and that's the walk or the shower I hear a lot, or I'm on a run, just doing something else. And then somehow this insight is called the edge effect in neuroscience, where all of a sudden, a couple of different things have been floating around in your brain connect. And they actually physically connect in your brain, which is just really cool, the whole biology of it, really cool for me. And you know, there's axon and neurons and dendrites, and they actually connect to each other. And then this idea comes into your head. It's just the coolest thing. And so, if you're doing all the time, you can't do that. Your brain can't focus on more than one thing at a time, multitasking is a myth. Most of us have learned that, right? It's called context switching, and you go from one to the other, and there's a whole issue around the degradation of that, which we won't get into. So, I think you need to fire yourself the day-to-day because you need to be able to have these thoughts that come to you and, so you need to gather information. You need to go out and talk to your customers a lot more. You need to sort of roam around the business and talk to people and learn from outsiders, have an advisory board and capture all this information. So, when that thing happens, that insight happens. You've collected all this data already, and then you start making these connections and that figures out, where's our business going? What is this thing going to look like in the next two, three, four years? And you can't do that doing.   I was a speaker at Investige for a number of years. And I asked hundreds of CEOs the same question, which was, what percentage of time do you spend working in the business versus working on the business? And I would say the majority of the answers was 80% to 90% in the business. And then to 20% on the business. And I said, look, if you're going to make sure that you're not guessing on a regular basis, you need to stop doing that. You need to flip that ratio. So, you're spending a lot more time working on things for the future, which your two most important constituencies, which are your best customers, not all your customers, but your best customers and your top team, right? You're A, B plus and B players. Those are the people you need to focus on the most. If you can do that, you'll put yourself in a much better position to be able to predict the future. You don't get it right every time, but we don't do that. We got our head down. As I say, we looked down, we don't look out as much. We need to look out a lot more.   Steve Rush: Got it. You've taken the thinking of neuroscience and applied that to your work. And it's something that we both share a passion in. What's commonly referred to as NeuroLeadership, for our listeners listening in today, maybe you could just describe what NeuroLeadership is?   Bill Flynn: Yeah, I'll say one thing, but there is this great quote by Chris Voss, who I love, he's written a couple of books and he says, “All humans should accept that we are all crazy, irrational, impulsive, emotionally driven animals, or all the raw intelligence and mathematical logic is fraught.” And when you have two people sort of interconnecting with all this irrationality and impulsivity and emotionally doing stuff, you know, you just have to understand that you have to know a little bit about how the brain works, because it doesn't work the way we think it does. It fools us on a regular basis. We have supposedly 150 unconscious biases that are broken down into five major categories, according to the NeuroLeadership Institute and its simplicity. So, we bias towards the simple, we'd rather have a simple explanation we think is better than a not simple.   Expediency, right? So, whatever it seems the fastest seems right. To us experience, we're much more likely to dismiss science because our experience is different. Even though our experience maybe an anomaly or certainly biased by our own needs and wants et cetera. The next is distance, we are biased to things that are more close to us than things that are far away and then there's safety, right? Which of course is a biological imperative. If we think we're going to die, we're much more likely to or be hurt in some way. We're much more likely to believe that. That's why there's a negativity bias. So, you need to, what's called lead with the brain in mind. If you understand that, then you'll understand that your job is to create the environment for people to use their brains, not to tell them what to do and take their brains out of the equation, because you can have, you know, if you have 200 people in your company and you can have 150 of them actually thinking for you and helping you to move the company forward, it's way better than what normally happens, which is a handful of you. And that's it. And then you tell everyone else what to do. Jim Collins calls this the genius with a thousand helpers. I think there's a great phrase. You can't do that. You have to be able to say, I'm the genius at figuring out the future. Because I love doing that, but you know, you're much better at marketing than I am. You're much better at this manufacturing thing than I am. I'm going to trust you, but I'm going to tell you, you know, sort of where we're going, what we're doing and work with you to figure out how you can contribute to doing that. I think that's what NeuroLeadership means. You have to understand that we're all irrational, impulsive, and emotional beings.   Steve Rush: Yeah.   Bill Flynn: If you understand that, then you'll be more compassionate, you'll be more thoughtful. And I think you'll be able to see it, this environment that you create is much more important than trying to figure out the answer to questions every day. You know, I keep saying you should, you should make one or two decisions a week as a leader. You know, we make dozens, if not hundreds of decisions a week, we shouldn't be making like, what kind of birthday cake should we do for the person in our group? Amazing stuff that we decide is important.   Steve Rush: It's very true. Isn't it? You talk about safety as being one of those key biases. And a, lot's been said about the whole principle of psychological safety, but it's an absolute key tenant of having the right behaviours so that you're thoughtful and compassionate to do the right things. So, if you could give our listeners a crash course on psychological safety and how to create that culture, where would you start?   Bill Flynn: So psychological safety is a term I believe was coined by Amy Edmondson, as far as I can tell, she's a person who acquainted. She has been studying this for about 20 years, I think. So psychological safety is basically is this. Creating an environment so that the people that are around you, especially your team, feels like they can screw up, admit mistakes, come up with crazy ideas without the fear of retribution or ridicule or scorn from others, either directly or indirectly. And if you can create that environment where people would just be themselves and not feel like they have to guard every thought and make sure that they're, you know, they're not looking stupid to their team, then you've created that environment, psychological safety. And then once you do that, then the magic happens, right? That's when all the really cool stuff, all those ideas, you know, you don't have to be the only one that comes up with the ideas of where to go. You can get them from others. And as long as you've created this environment, and you've sort of put that roadmap of that vision of where we're going, then you'll recognize the good ideas. Because you're like, oh, that can actually get us. That's a better idea than mine, and that'll get us closer or that'll be a better way of doing something in your particular world. Because you know it better than I do, so you just need to create that environment, is really an atmosphere that you're creating. That people could really just be themselves, and then once we relax again, backs that thing, once we can relax and we're not worried about how people think about us, you know, Simon Sinek calls us the second job of work, which is lying, hiding, and faking, and if we can eliminate that and get them back to the main job of really contributing to the healthy growth of the business, then you've done a great job.   Steve Rush: What do you think the reason is Bill that leaders don't embrace this enough?   Bill Flynn: It's hard, right? It's trusting someone else. You know, we live in a world that we kind of value that, right? We kind of value the knowing stuff. And we think that in order for us to be valuable, we have to be seen a certain way. And so, it's all about winning for the person as opposed to winning for the team. There's this great story about a football team. American football team here, a college football team here in the States, it's called the Ohio State University. In the thirties, forties and fifties. They were a juggernaut. They were just really hard to beat. They were always in the hunt for the championship every year. And then they started giving away these stickers and they call them Buckeyes. Which is, I think it's a nut or something and they put them on their helmets, but they were for individual awards.   And over the sixties, seventies and eighties, they started to get worse and worse. And then this guy came in and I think his name is Jim Tressel. And he said, you know, we've got to create this team atmosphere. We're sacrificing our own individual rewards for that of the team or our unit. And so, he still used the buckeye thing, but he only did it when the team or that unit on the field, when the defensive unit, you know, how to sack. Everyone on the defensive unit, got a Buckeye when there was a great play that was executed on, whatever, special teams or whatever. Everyone got a Buckeye and then they started to become better and better. And they've now, they still do the same thing, Urban Meyer or someone is their coach. And again, they're back every year, they're in for the chance to be in the championship game. And actually, this year, I think they're in it. And it's because they've created this environment of being a team. You know, being a teammate is not being in a group. It's being part of something bigger than yourself. It's sharing the rewards or responsibilities, but also having each other's back. And when you can create that environment, it's amazing what people will do. We are tribal people. Let's leverage that right. Lead with the brain and mind, understand that we are tribal people. We want to work together. So, create the environment so we can in the most way, and I think you'll do a much better job as a team leader. And I do team leader in the large scope either if the organization, then you're a team of team's leader. And then if you're in a particular group, you have a team. If you could teach people how to be really great team leaders. And I go into that a little bit, my book, and so does Amy Edmondson and hers called Teaming. And there are a few other people who talk about teams as well. You're just in a much better position and you'll do much better. So, I think that's true of what we're dealing with.   Steve Rush: I love that. One of the other things that you focus on with teams is helping them really stretch their thinking about the art of what is possible and you call these Bhag or Big Hairy Audacious Goals.   Bill Flynn: Yeah, Bhag is a term that was coined by Jim Collins. Made most famous by good to great, but I think he actually had it in an earlier book, but since Good to Great was such a bestseller. The term became a term of art. It's over 20 years old.   Steve Rush: Yeah, probably was actually.   Bill Flynn: Basically, it stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal and being a contrarian than I am. I don't actually think it's a goal. I think it's more of a consequence than a goal because goals generally have some sort of measurable timeframe, et cetera. And the Bhag is sort of this thing that in the future, there's not really sure how you're going to get there, but this is how we would recognize it when we did. And that is, I think, sort of the combination or really the metaphor of the success, right? Of this vision that you have for the organization. This is a way to describe it in very specific terms. So, people can recognize that, hey, when we get there, we'll do this. There was a great company in Australia called RedBalloon. And they've been following this, they're doing this kind of work for a long time. So, they were an experiential gifting company, right? So, you didn't give away physical things. You gave away ballooning or jumping out of a plane or whatever. And they were tiny and they were in Australia and they were only in Australia. And so, they said, what would be the best? Like if we actually super successful, how would we know? And they came up with a numerical thing, which was, they wanted to have 2 million gifting experiences cumulatively. And they were like a few thousand, by the way, at the time. At the time when they did, they were only 20 million people in Australia. So, they wanted to be 10% of the population would be doing that. And so, a Bhag is a 10 to 30 year, according to Jim Collins sort of goal, somewhere in that 10-to-30-year timeframe, we will do this. We don't know how we're going to do it, but this will be it. And they did it in eight years. And I think that eighth year they'd push it up to 5 million. So, if you give people that, right, this, again, leading with the brain in mind. We'd love to have those targets, right? We love to be able to also see an experience and sort of recognize today, what's possible tomorrow because you've described it in such a vivid way. And the Bhag is a great way to do that. And we've seen lots of Bhags over time. You know, I think one Bhag, most people in the US know is, we will send a man to the moon and bring him home within the decade. And that was when we landed on the moon. That was a Bhag, right? We had to create new metals and also things that we didn't have before in order to get there. So, we had no idea how we were going to do it, but we said we were going to do it. And we put people on a task and human beings are wonderful, wonderful. If you give them something like that. If they have a passion for it, and it's amazing, the things that we can do, and we just need to create that environment. That's what the Bhag does. It creates something that's tangible.   Steve Rush: And in reverse, of course, the biases you talked about are the things that stop us, having the ability to think big, to move outside our comfort zone and to take those risks and to feel that psychological safety. So, we need to pay attention to that in ourselves, don't we? As well as when we lead.   Bill Flynn: Exactly, right. And this gets back to sort of this growth mindset and all the growth mindset means is you understand the power of yet, the word yet. I don't know this yet. I can't do this yet. And there are some things that you can't do, but most things you probably could if you put the time and the effort and the energy into it, and you really had the passion for it and the love for it. And we've seen this over and over again with people, especially, you know, just imagine. Lionel Messi, right? Which is probably the best soccer player ever. I mean, he had a great under fundamental talent, but man, he put in a lot of time and effort and he practiced a lot, but he almost quit when he was 15 from Barcelona, because they were trying to turn him into what they described as the ideal soccer player. And they wanted him to focus more on his right foot versus left foot. Most of us know that his left foot is just superior to his right and superior to everyone else's left foot as well. And they also wanted him to sort of stay in his lane and do his job, but that's not how he was successful, right? The reason he was really successful was he had a left foot that no one could touch. And he was able to see the field in such a way that he would put himself in a position where the ball was going to be. So that means he needed the ability to roam. And they said, don't quit. They said look, if you want to have your left foot be the main focus, you just got to be the best left foot in the game, let's focus on it. And they said, you know what, when you're on the field, we don't care where you are, just be dangerous. And that's what he did, right? And, you know, the story he is now 34, 35 years old.   Steve Rush: And I'm still dangerous.   Bill Flynn: Still dangerous. He started when he was 15, can you imagine he was doing this for 16, 17 years. So, I think that's a great metaphor for understanding being a leader, right? It's understanding the unique talents of each of your team members and then try to have them use those as often as you can every day, every week, every year. If you do that, they'll be happier, they will be more engaged. They'll feel more connected, you know, et cetera, create that psychological safety. That's why I think the NeuroLeadership thing is so important to understanding the brain is such a huge factor in creating a great organization and being successful.   Steve Rush: I agree, so this part of the show Bill is when I get to hack into your leadership mind and pull on all of the years of experiences. Now, given all of the vast experiences you've had, I'm going to ask you to narrow down what your top three leadership hacks could be?   Bill Flynn: Sure. I've got three, there in my book. And basically, there's a meaningful gap between what science knows and business does. We've already mentioned this a little bit. You know, I say challenged, conventional wisdoms. For instance, we're told often to talk to your customers and that's just wrong because it's valid, but not sufficient, I like to say. You shouldn't talk to all your customers. You should only talk to your best customers. The customers who love you and who you love, because you want to get to know them. So, you can find the next one like them, because their most profitable, they're your best referrals and references in the business. Other things like our learning, we just more recently in the last 10 years, understanding how the brain learns, yet still go back to the old didactic model, right? Where teacher stand in front of the class and fills you full of information. That's actually not how the brain learn. The brain learns in a completely different way. And my last one is feedback. I'm just not a big fan of feedback. I think feedback is a tool, but we use it as the thing, right? And to me, the thing that we want to do. Feedback as a tool for growth is to help others to improve. There's lots of great ways to help them grow and feedback is one of them. And I think it's actually one of the things you should use the least often, because there's this thing in neuroscience called reactants, right? Which is, I'll put it in terms of mask wearing. A lot of people don't wear masks just because they were told you have to wear masks, that's it, that's reactants. We are like, screw you. Don't tell me what to do. I know better. And we come up with reasons with freedom and CO2 is going to kill me or whatever, you know, we'll make up irrational reasons to support whatever we think is important. And that's the difference between science and just sort of conventional wisdom. And so, I think if you focus on the science of business and understand that there are real first principles and how to build a great business, and we've seen it over and over and over again and learn those and then see how they apply to your business and then create methodologies to help you apply those principles that work for you. The second thing is few things truly matter, but those that do matter, tremendously. Leaders do not spend enough time here. There are only a few things, and in my book is just three things, right?   It's created a team environment. Performance is a team sport. If you want to create a business that scales in a predictable manner, you have to think in terms of systems and processes, your business is just one big system made up a bunch of small subsystems. And if you can understand how those systems work, you'll be able to tweak them as they go. And by the way, if you fix one system, sometimes you break another one, right? If you fix the sales process, sometimes you break the delivery process because all of a sudden you can't deliver on time. If you fix the marketing process, sometimes you break the sales process and so forth. So, figuring out those two things. The last thing of my three, so it's team, it's creating the business operating system. And then the last is cash. It should be your primary financial growth metric.   To me, those are the few things that truly matter in business. And you need to figure out how to apply those in your business. And then lastly is, leaders rely too much on effort, luck, timing, and force of will to achieve quote unquote, success. These do not scale profitably. At some point, you're going to run out of hours in a day and energy, relying on yourself and a few people to make a business grow to a hundred, two thousands of people, just doesn't work. So those three things, meaningful gap between science, what science knows and business does, few things truly matter. But those that do matter tremendously and leaders rely too much on effort, luck, timing, and force of will to achieve success. Don't do it.   Steve Rush: Awesome, love that. Now this part of the show we Hack to Attack. It's typically where something's gone wrong in your life or your work. Indeed, it could have been catastrophic, but as a result of the experience, we now use it as a positive in our life or our work. So, what would be your Hack to Attack? Bill Flynn: Yeah, so I've been a sales person since I was 22, 23 years old. And when I first became a sales person, I just became Salesforce by accident, to be honest with you. I was lucky enough to have a very well-connected family member in the Boston high-tech scene. And he got me a whole bunch of informational interviews. And one of them hired me, which is really cool. And they hired me as a sales guy. And I said, all right, I'll give that a shot. And they told me, here's what you need to be a good salesperson, right? You need to really know your product. You need to know it inside and out and so on and so forth. And you need to be able to relate to customers and all that kind of stuff, and I was terrible at it. Terrible, but I did all those things. I mean, I'm generally a pretty smart guy, I'm pretty relatable, most people like me. And I knew my product inside and out, but I was not good at it. And I looked at it and said, why? Why am I not good at this? All the things they told me to be good at, I am good at. But I'm still not selling. And I said, so there's got to be a next factor in here that I'm unaware of. So, I really studied it and said, what is the essence of selling? The essence of selling is helping someone else to make a decision. So, I studied decision-making. How do people make decisions? And then that's how I got into neuroscience, 15 years ago.   The brain makes decisions in a certain way. And you probably know this, but maybe your listeners don't. When a decision is made, most often the emotional centres of our brain light up first, and they actually light up often before we're consciously aware of the decision that we've made. And some people call this limbic system. There's a lot of controversy of the limbic system or not. I don't really know, but let's call it that for sake of argument. So, and your limbic system and decision-making system was designed before we really had language. So, we actually make a decision on an emotional level and then make up the reasons after the fact. And once I figured that out, I became the number one or number two salesperson everywhere I went.   Steve Rush: Awesome, yeah.   Bill Flynn: It's like a super superpower.   Steve Rush: I love that. And it's ironic, isn't it? That all buying decisions are emotional first and then logical second, but most salespeople start with that logical approach and features, benefits, advantages when actually the emotional triggers are the ones you need to be focusing on first.   Bill Flynn: Agree, there's this great theory called jobs to be done, which I love, which focuses on three things, which is the social, emotional and functional aspects of decision-making in the buying process. And all three are factors. Some out weight more than others and some before the others, but they're almost always the three of them in there or two or three of them in there. And if you notice, two of them are social and emotional, which are not something that we focus on a lot. And if you can really do a good job of that, you can actually create great products that you never even thought you should make. And people, you know, a lot of the things that I do are talking to leaders and saying, helping them understand their future, which is really interesting how to create a strategy. And I asked them, why do people buy from you? And they basically say, because we're awesome. Because we make great this, we do we do this, and their like, no, they don't. They don't really care about what you make. They care about what you do for them.   Steve Rush: That's right.   Bill Flynn: Not what you do. And if you could figure out, how you make their lives better? How you fix a struggle or help them with progress? Then you'll actually create products and parts of products and services that support that, but we don't.   Steve Rush: It's interesting stuff. Really interesting. Last thing we want to do with you today, Bill is give you the chance to do a bit of time travel and you get to bump into yourself at 21 and give yourself some advice.   Bill Flynn: So, mine is, and actually this is funny Steve. I do this question a lot. I do an alignment question with my clients on a regular basis and alignment, meaning that these are things that they learn about each other that maybe they didn't know. And this is one of them, which is, if you go back in time, give yourself some advice and that would have made your life easier or better or accelerated, you know, your successors in some way. So, I've been doing this forever. So, I love this question, which is, to me, it would be to embrace uncertainty and to eschew certitude. I was brought up in a household that having the answer was more highly valued than asking a question and being unsure, sort of not being as comfortable. There's a saying, which I don't know if it's true, but I love it, which is that, you know, stupid people are always confident and smart people are unsure.   Steve Rush: I like that.   Bill Flynn: And you know, so you got to be comfortable holding two opposing ideas in your mind at once or more. One of both, maybe right, depending on the circumstance. And sometimes combining the best bits of each may also be right or more right. And if you sort of keep that in mind and not get stymied by it, right? Cause you can actually go into analysis paralysis. At some point you got to make a decision. I think if you can do that, you could say embrace uncertainty. You know what? This decision might be wrong. And if it is, then we'll fix it, but let's go ahead. We've got enough information, as much as we can particularly gather, let's just go with what we think is the best option, but know that we might be wrong either by hiring this person or making this product decision or bringing on this partner, whatever it is. And then if it is, then we'll fix it because we've got all this wonderful environment created around the culture and values and purpose and all those kinds of things. And we might find out that we're wrong and that's okay.   Steve Rush: Awesome.   Bill Flynn: We'll, we'll fix it.   Steve Rush: Bill, I could talk to you for hours and hours. Unfortunately, we're coming to the end of our time together today. But for the folks that are listening, who also want to continue the conversation with you, where's the best place where you can send them?   Bill Flynn: My website, which is catalystgrowthadvisors.com. And there you can find my email, my phone number, or you can actually set up a book some time with me, my book is on there. My book I give away for free on my site is if you just want to download the PDF, you can certainly do that. And more about the message than the money. If you want to buy it off Amazon, great. You can do it from there as well. There's a link to my Amazon audible on my website, but that's it. So, again, www.catalystgrowthadvisors.com.   Steve Rush: We'll also make sure those links are in our show notes Bill so that folks can head straight over and connect with you from here.   Bill Flynn: Awesome, thanks Steve. Appreciate It.   Steve Rush: Been amazing having you on the show, Bill. I wish you every success. It's no surprise that you have been so successful, some fantastic foundations and some fantastic learning you shared with our listeners today. So, we wish you all the best for the future.   Bill Flynn: Thank you, your very kindly. Closing   Steve Rush: I genuinely want to say heartfelt thanks for taking time out of your day to listen in too. We do this in the service of helping others, and spreading the word of leadership. Without you listening in, there would be no show. So please subscribe now if you have not done so already. Share this podcast with your communities, network, and help us develop a community and a tribe of leadership hackers.   Finally, if you would like me to work with your senior team, your leadership community, keynote an event, or you would like to sponsor an episode. Please connect with us, by our social media. And you can do that by following and liking our pages on Twitter and Facebook our handler there @leadershiphacker. Instagram you can find us there @the_leadership_hacker and at YouTube, we are just Leadership Hacker, so that is me signing off. I am Steve Rush and I have been the leadership hacker.    

David Mitchell interviews John Spence. We discuss how he became the CEO of the Rockefeller Foundation to now being recognized as one of Top 5 public speakers in the world. We also discuss how to choose your mentor and improve your public speaking abilities. Inc. Magazine named John one of America's Up and Coming Young Business Leaders. John is recognized as one of the Top 100 Business Thought Leaders in America, one of the Top 100 Small Business Influencers in America, one of the Top 50 Small Business Experts in America and one of the top 500 Leadership Development Experts in the World. The American Management Association named John one of America's Top 50 Leaders to Watch along with Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google and Jeff Bezos of Amazon.

Your host of Amplified, Ken Rochon, The Umbrella Syndicate, & Founder of the Keep Smiling Movement, with Andrea Adams-Miller, CEO, The RED Carpet Connection & Executive Director, the Keep Smiling Movement interview John Spence, Speaker, Author, named by the American Management Association as one of America's Top 50 Leaders to Watch! LIsten LIVE Monday at 11 am est/8 am pst or replays at https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2501/amplified Sponsors: TheREDCarpetConnection.com, The Umbrella Syndicate, Big Events USA, TheKeepSmilingMovement.com, VoiceAmerica Influencers Channel #KeepSmiling #Amplified #Speaker #KeepSmilingMovement #Smiles #KenRochon #AndreaAdamsMiller #JohnSpence #Author #Influencer #Influence #Business #Entrepreneurs

Your host of Amplified, Ken Rochon, The Umbrella Syndicate, & Founder of the Keep Smiling Movement, with Andrea Adams-Miller, CEO, The RED Carpet Connection & Executive Director, the Keep Smiling Movement interview John Spence, Speaker, Author, named by the American Management Association as one of America's Top 50 Leaders to Watch! LIsten LIVE Monday at 11 am est/8 am pst or replays at https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2501/amplified Sponsors: TheREDCarpetConnection.com, The Umbrella Syndicate, Big Events USA, TheKeepSmilingMovement.com, VoiceAmerica Influencers Channel #KeepSmiling #Amplified #Speaker #KeepSmilingMovement #Smiles #KenRochon #AndreaAdamsMiller #JohnSpence #Author #Influencer #Influence #Business #Entrepreneurs

Leadership expert John Spence joins host Jim Karrh to discuss keys to performance during a crisis, what people need in these uncertain times, and how to be a more effective message leader.

John Spence is recognized as one of the top business thought leaders and leadership development experts in the world.  As a consultant and coach to organizations worldwide, from start-ups to the Fortune 10, John is dedicated to helping people and businesses be more successful by “Making the Very Complex… Awesomely Simple.” You can learn the following from John in this episode: It is not just what did you read and learn, action steps you take as a result How to create the reader to leader habit The discipline of reading and application of learning The four “P” of expertise and expert performance AQ - your adaptability or agility quotient Knowledge, Network and Love Lifelong reading and learning gives you competitive advantage Join our Leadership Hacker Tribe and connect with us: Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn (Steve) LinkedIn (The Leadership Hacker) Music: " Upbeat Party " by Scott Holmes courtesy of the Free Music Archive FMA Find out more from John Spence Below: https://johnspence.com/ https://blog.johnspence.com John Spence on Twitter @awesomelysimple Full Transcript Below     ----more----   Introduction Steve Rush: Some call me Steve, dad, husband or friend. Others might call me boss, coach or mentor. Today you can call me The Leadership Hacker. Thanks for listening in. I really appreciate it. My job as the leadership hacker is to hack into the minds, experiences, habits and learning of great leaders, C-Suite executives, authors and development experts so that I can assist you developing your understanding and awareness of leadership. I am Steve Rush and I am your host today. I am the author of Leadership Cake. I am a transformation consultant and leadership coach. I cannot wait to start sharing all things leadership with you. On the show today, we have one of the leading business and leadership consultants in the world. He is a multiple author, a TEDx speaker, and he has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. It is John Spence But before we get a chance to speak with John; it is The Leadership Hacker News.    The Leadership Hacker News Steve Rush: The global pandemic is forcing companies to adapt quickly into change, to redesign their products and services or even create completely new propositions to meet the demands of its clients, customers and its workforce and what is apparent is. Organizations are rushing to the needs of their customers and their workforce readily and now is absolutely the time for innovation and new ways of working. We have restaurants and cafes and small shops that are turning to deliveries and providing doorstep delivery services and vital community services. We have vacuum cleaner manufacturers who are now retooled to provide ventilators for people who are suffering ill health. We have alcohol firms and beer manufacturers who have now pivoted, making hand sanitizers. So whilst this is a time of challenge and stress, anxiety for most businesses and I get that part of that journey myself and our business is suffering the same thinking and behaviours, too. It is also the time for innovation and change and by thinking outside the box and thinking differently, we are able to create new and emerging opportunities in amongst this crisis, and here's the thing. If we look at our language over time in Chinese, the word crisis means both danger and opportunity and in India, the word Jugaad, which we may be familiar with around innovation and frugal innovation also means joining or union where from adversity we can find opportunity. And even in English, the word adversity represents a difficult or tricky situation, but not catastrophic. As leaders, it is our role to lead new thinking and new ways of working. So join with me and congratulate those organizations who are pivoting and showing innovation and join me and congratulate the great work of all those who are working through adversity. That has been The Leadership Hacker News. If you have any news, insights, information you think would be great to share on the show. Please get in touch on our social media sites. Start of Interview Steve Rush: Today's guest is recognized as one of the top business consultants and leaders in the world. He was named by American Management Association, one of America's top 50 leaders to watch in that list alongside Larry Page of Google and Jeff Bezos of Amazon to name but a few. He has gone on to write five books and has also featured in TEDx Speaker. I am delighted to welcome to the show, John Spence. John Spence: It is a pleasure to be with you, my friend.  Steve Rush: John, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule. Just to give the folks who are listening some backstory, one of things that first intrigued me about you when we met is that you have been in leadership roles and leading teams for a long time. In fact, at age of 26, you were already a CEO of a Rockefeller Foundation. How did that come about? John Spence: It is a twisted tale, but I will go through it quickly. I grew up in Miami, Florida, and a very wealthy family. My father was an attorney and went to one of the top prep schools in America and when I graduated; I got admitted to several different colleges. And I chose the University of Miami in Miami, Florida, because it was close to my boat and my girlfriend, which is not why you should choose university, which is also why about a year later, I failed out and was kicked out of the university. I won't go through the whole thing, but I moved to another town where I live now, Gainesville, Florida, where there's another University. The University of Florida and I applied there and they refused to accept me, so I went to a tiny little college, restarted over completely and graduated there, got into the University of Florida and graduated number three in the United States in my major. That is when I was hired by the Rockefellers. I was twenty-three years old, after about six months or so, the current CEO picked me as his right hand man and I would go into all meetings with him, board meetings, follow me around, do things like that. And a few years later, he faltered pretty dramatically and they put me in place to just sort of hold the place down for a little while, and things went so well that they left me in. I was at twenty-six; I was running a Rockefeller Foundation, International Rockefeller Foundation, with projects going on in 20 countries around the world and I had no idea what I was doing, but it seemed to turn out okay Steve Rush: And I guess it is not just being in the right place at the right time. That got you noticed. If you maybe single out one or two of those things. What do you think it was that gave you the edge at that time? John Spence: There were there were three things. Number one is I said yes to pretty much anything. If they needed someone to go to Costa Rica to negotiate a deal. Before I was CEO, I put up my hand, and go. If they needed someone to take on a project that no one else wanted, I would take it. So I pretty much said yes to everything to learn as much as I possibly could. Number two, I was very, very, very lucky to get a mentor. Charlie Owen, who was Mr. Rockefeller's right hand man, would come into my office every Monday, put a book on my desk, and on Friday he would take me to lunch and I would have to make a book report. And he would not only say, what did you learn? But what will you apply? And I think that was the big differentiator. It is not just what did you read and learn, but what are three specific action steps you are going to take as a result of what you just read? And then he would hold me accountable for doing that in my job. And then the last one was asking for help. I had a really good team around me. I had some very brilliant board of directors. I had three billionaires on my board. Everybody else was worth one hundred million dollars and I was not afraid to pick up the phone or send them a note and say, I need some help, I need some guidance, because I realized I failed out of the University of Miami because I did not ask for help. I did not go to the other students. I did not have a study group. I did not talk to professors. I tried to do it all by myself and that got me failure. When I got to be CEO. I realized I need all the help I could humanly get from everybody around me. Steve Rush: Thinking about the discipline of book on your desk, reading that book. In the time that we have known each other, I think I describe your office as a library of leadership. How many books do you reckon you have read over that time? John Spence: I have read a hundred to one hundred and twenty books every year since nineteen eighty-nine. I've got a little over two thousand books in my office, but I also have a private library at home. My office is just business books and then my home is history and classics and things like that. So yeah, I see that is a big part of my job. How do you read so much? Part of the reason is, this is what I do for a living is taken information to help other people. Steve Rush: Right and I guess information comes from that whole foundation you created from learning and listening to other people. Right? John Spence: Well, it comes from a lot of places asking for help, mentors, coaches, colleagues. But for example, when I was at the foundation very, very young before they named me CEO, we would be sitting in a board meeting and one of the billionaires would say, well, anybody have an idea on this? And I raised my hand. I would say, well, I read over here in Tom Peter's book not this but the other but I think this all starts with Jim Collins book on this, and then I got one more idea I read from Chester Elton, and I think those three things apply and I still remember one of the billionaire, I love John's ideas. He is one smart kid, let's do that stuff. I am thinking none of those were my idea but yeah, so it's personal experience and the reading, study and learning. I am not a genius. I just have more access to ideas and information than most people. Steve Rush: That is a great question. Do you though, do you have more access or do you have more discipline? What do you think it comes from? John Spence: I have more discipline. Anybody can buy books, which lots of people have lots of books. It takes the discipline to read them and apply them. I mean, again, there is that step. There is always that second step of not just what did I read and learned, but how will I use it. Steve Rush: So how do you go about creating that discipline, the time to be able to read hundred books a year? John Spence: I read a minimum of one hour every morning. That is the way I get my day started. Up until the Corona virus. I would take myself to a local restaurant and sit down and for a minimum of an hour or still to this day, I read Fortune Forbes Inc. Harvard Business Review Strategy in Business and part of a book. Also I usually travel again. We are at an interesting time right now. I usually travel about 200 days a year, so I am very disciplined that the minute I get to the airport, to the minute I get home, I read at every spare moment I have. I don't watch TV, believe it or not, as a professional speaker who has spoken to audiences large as twenty six thousand. I am a very, very introverted, so when I am on the road, I stay in my hotel room and read and study. And then also when I read a book, there's a couple of things that are important to me and I read a lot on Kindle now but if I can get 50 or 60 pages into the book and I haven't underlined anything. I just closed the book and put it away because I figure if the author can't teach me something in the first twenty/twenty five percent of the book, they're probably not going to teach me anything spectacular in the last hundred and fifty pages. I might have missed an idea but I don't want to waste my time. Steve Rush: It is a good strategy and a disciplined strategy that makes stuff get done, right? John Spence: Yeah, and then I also I have all kinds of symbols that if its hardcover book, I put a pound sign for numbers; I put an R circle it, which is reread. I underline it. What I will do is I read all the way through the book. Then I go back and reread just my highlighting, and I make notes off that and then I am sort of a freak. I read, I dictate my highlighting into a word, doc, and then I have all those saved so I can take a book of two hundred and fifty pages and get it down to maybe three pages of notes of the key ideas and I have literally thousands of pages of those. Steve Rush: Wow, that is amazing, and I think for anybody listening to the show today who does not have this as a foundation in their life, what would be your recommendation? How would you get them to start? John Spence: Twelve minutes a day during the week. That is an hour a week. To give you an example. The average college graduate in most countries. Yes, average university graduate only read half a book a year. For self-improvement or to get better at their job. What I call a skills based book, a half a book a year. If you were to read one book every other month, six books a year, you would be in the top one percent in your country. If you read twelve books a year, you are in the top 1 percent in the world. Nobody needs to read 100 or 120 books I am a freak. It is my job, it's part of what I do because I see this foundation for my career. But if you just took twelve minutes a day during the week, that's an hour a week. That probably four or five books a year. If you are a semi-good reader, that just puts you in the top almost in the top 1 percent in your entire country for self-learning. If you're consistent in doing that in three or four years, you've now really piled up some interesting information, ideas, things that when combined with your real life, what I call the adjacent new with your real life experience, what you've been doing in business, everything you've done up to then. You take this interesting new idea you read out of a book, you put the two together and that becomes a new idea. You know, this is a new innovation, a new idea, a new strategy that didn't exist before the book ideas and your personal experience, and if you were to read, you know, 20 minutes a day, you can see the numbers. It is not really that challenging. Again, it just takes discipline. Steve Rush: I guess ideas breed ideas and innovation breeds innovation, doesn't it?  John Spence: Absolutely. Steve Rush: Great advice, John. John Spence: My pleasure. Steve Rush: One of the things I was really intrigued about when I was to TED talk was around the whole principle of AQ. Our listeners will know the principles of IQ, the intelligent question. They probably be familiar with the emotional quotient. So the EQ and how we can respond and use our behaviours to respond to behaviours. Tell us a little bit about what AQ means and how leaders might apply them. John Spence: Well, let's look at the other two quickly. IQ is another word that I use for competence. You've got to be good at your job. You don't have to, you know, be a NASA rocket scientists and have 48 advance degrees. You just got to be really competent at your job. EQ, emotional quotient, which I see as sort of self-awareness and empathy put together. An area I struggle in traumatically is now actually more important than IQ. If you've got a modicum level of competence, your EQ, will be more important. I have done tons of workshops with organizations where it is usually three or five to one EQ over IQ is important to have a leader. However, AQ, which is your adaptability, or agility quotient I see as the most important one going forward and the amount of turmoil we are facing in the world. Technology, things are moving so fast. Only people who are agile, adaptable, nimble can embrace new ideas. Let go of old ideas that don't work, try new things. Take a prudent business risks and be fast and not just embrace change, but drive change. That is what I believe is going to be the main driver of leadership success. If you are competent and you can get along with other people, but you are not nimble, you are in trouble. If you add the three together. To me, you've got the foundation for being a highly successful leader moving forward.  Steve Rush: And what do you think are the key components of that? AQ, what will be one of the things that I might want to focus on first? John Spence: Well, AQ almost all comes down to what we have been talking about is exposing yourself to new and different information and not just business information. Go outside of your normal realm. Like I read physics and astronomy to try to expose myself to ideas that are so big and so challenging that it stretches my mind. I look at art; I do other things, music to try to understand the craft behind those. And all these other ideas and other people, you know, going and meeting people that do things that you don't do and asking about what are their, best ideas, how did they learn what they do. So the more information and ideas you take in. Now, the other thing that is really important and it's one of the foundations of becoming an expert at anything is I'll give you the four piece of expertise. This comes from a book called The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance, a one thousand eight hundred-page book written by experts about how to become an expert, and they say there is four Ps. The first P, Passion, which just stands to reason you're not going to become truly world class if something if you're not passionate about it. The new the next one is persistence, and we've seen from Malcolm Gladwell's work and others that that's about 10 years or ten thousand hours of being persistent. The third P, which is practice but it is a special kind of practice called deliberate practice, and what deliver practice said. If you've got a coach, a trainer, a colleague, a friend, someone pushing you to keep practicing and practicing on the hardest stuff. The most challenging stuff, which leads to the fourth and final P. Which I think is the foundation of AQ, which is pattern recognition. Once you study your subject deeply, you have studied it for years, you have you read, you ask questions, you've got a mentor, a coach, all the sudden it becomes clear to you and you see patterns that other people don't see. Those patterns are what allow you to anticipate things that are coming down the pike. So someone that's nimble, agile, adaptable, part of the reason they can adapt so quick is because they have identified the pattern before it fully unfolds and that time between when they've identified it and other people see it is their competitive advantage. Steve Rush: I love that John. I think it is a great example of a simple model but actually help us just understand the underlying all of this is the lifelong learning that curiosity, that in order to get that pattern recognition, you've got to have the foundations, right? John Spence: You said the word, curiosity. You've got to constantly be interested in things, looking at things, learning things, being curious and wanting to understand things deeply. Nailed it. Nailed it. Steve Rush: Now you have come renowned for making the very complex, awesomely simple. In fact, that was the title of your last book. How did that come about? John Spence: That is exactly what we were discussing, pattern recognition. I was looking at businesses. I have had the great fortune of working with companies all over the world, from start-ups to Apple and Microsoft and Fortune 500 Companies, and every time I got in a company, I looked for the patterns, the patterns of what they were doing really well that allowed them to be the leader in their industry. Also the patterns of what I saw in companies that were struggling, dysfunctional and failing and after years and years of looking at that. Also while I was doing that, I found this really cool software program called Wordle. And what Wordle allows you to do is to put the text of a document in there and it finds the pattern, it takes out the ands the does and oh's and all that stuff, and it looks for the words that appear over and over again and then it creates a word cloud. And that word cloud shows you the pattern of the book, so I loaded my book Awesomely Simple in there to help me understand the draft of it. And then I went to a bunch of my friends who are authors and asked for drafts of their book or a copy of their books. I won't drag you through it, but I put about two hundred and seventy thousand pages of the top leadership literature, the top articles, everything I could find in there, and it spit out a pattern and that pattern is what became the foundation of not only my book, but what I teach today to companies I worked with. Steve Rush: What a great idea in using technology as well to help us find the thematic approach to how we lead. So in your book as well, you call on a certain number of characteristics or strategies that will help business leaders. John Spence: Yes, and there nothing surprisingly new. There again, fundamental, but there is a big thing called the knowing doing gap. A lot of people know these things, but they don't actually do them every day. They don't implement them and take action on them. So part of the book and I'm not plugging the book is I've got lots of questions, workshops, things to think about, because, again, it's not just reading it, it's reading it, learning it and applying it. And these things I teach people, they go, oh, yeah, and I going now. On a scale of one to ten with ten-world class and one being terrible. Where would you currently rate yourself and or your organization? And when they raided a three or a five, they look at me and go, oh, I know this, but I'm just not doing it effectively every day. Steve Rush: And in order to create some of the activity that expedites actions, one of the things you talk about in your book is that kind of creating urgency and I think most people would recognize the urgency is an incredibly important part of shifting behaviours and creating some shift in status quo. How do you do that without creating panic? John Spence: Super, super, good question. I looked at a lot of the research and writings on change management and change theory. And then again with what I've seen in companies I've been working with for. Now, I am in my twenty-eighth year. There is three steps to this, two steps and the third one is creating urgency. Step one is you have to create what I call an irresistible case for change and irresistible is isn't liking chocolate cake. Irresistible is you cannot resist this. It is happening you have no choice. Again, we are recording this during the pandemic. People are being sent home to work for their homes. We are doing social distancing, and by a voluntary isolation, you have no choice. You are not allowed to leave your house. So this is going to break a lot of people's patterns. This is going to make them adopt new ideas, new ways of working, new things happening, whether they wanted to or not. In any organization, to create a sense of urgency, step one is to let people know that change is mandatory you have no choice. Now, after you have done that, the next thing to do is to immediately tell them about the amazing future that will be there. We are going to do this for the company. This new software is going to allow us to do these things. Being able to serve this customer quickly is going to allow the company to make more profit, but whatever it is, but you need to take that irresistible case for change and balance it with a vivid, compelling, exciting vision of what the change will lead to, we do the change. Here is the new future. Here is the better future, and then quickly, you want to tell people we need to move to the new future, we got to get there. We can't go back and that's what creates a sense of urgency because it takes too long. People sort of say, oh, this too, shall pass and they get resistant and you get a big group of people that just don't want to change, and that will slow everything down. And one other thing that adds to that, that allows or motivates that sense of urgency is getting what's called a guiding coalition in your organization, and that should be your entire senior team. Whether it is two or three or five or twelve being ten thousand percent committed to the change, and being the leading example of embracing the change, and driving the change, which you also want to look for sort of the influencers in your organization. The people who may not have a fancy title, but they have been there for 5 or 10 or 15 years and everybody looks up to them. Know if Steve thinks it is a good idea, I am on board. You know, if John thinks it is a bad idea, I ain't doing it. You want to get that handful of people also, your change agents, your change cheerleaders to create and let everybody know. We got to go, we got to go right now. Steve Rush: So I recognize the patterns you just share and very familiar and experienced those in terms of how I help my clients through that change. One of things, I also find John is that when we are creating the urgency with providing that vision for the change in the future. We have the right people around us. We still find that there are natural pockets of resistance. What is the most common thing that you notice as a resistance or a big resistance to change? John Spence: It is fear. People like stability and safety and when people are faced with what they perceive as negative change, they go through a cycle of fear, denial, anger, begging, trying to negotiate. And they go through all these emotions, and actually they're the same emotions that people feel when someone close to them passes away. To some person, we are changing the software company. Some people you gave me a new desk. You move me to a new desk. You actually as far as you gave me a new chair. I love this chair. I have had this chair for five years. It is in the shape of my butt. I don't want anyone to take my chair away, and you have to, as a leader, understand that change drives lots of emotions, fear, depression, sense of overwhelm, sense of optimism. At first you have uninformed pessimism, people don't know what's going on with a change and they're scared and eventually you start to get informed optimism until finally you get adoption. And that's when people say, okay, the changes, okay, I like it. It is great. Then, of course, right after that, it is time to change again. Steve Rush: And the one thing that is going to be constant in everybody's world is change and even by sometimes just labelling it change, we create an intentional fear, don't we? Because it is a label, it is a thing versus it is just going to happen. We are always going to evolve, but we may not be able to connect the dots forward, but when we look back, we certainly can do that, can't we? John Spence: Yeah, hence the reason that AQ now is so critical and we will become more critical going forward because the pace of change is going to continue to speed up and be dramatic. I think that we're seeing this worldwide right now and it's going to overwhelm a lot of people, but it's also going to give other people's strength and courage to understand that I can do this, that if I stay focused and I stay calm and I'm persistent, that I can handle this level of change. And I believe when we come on the other side of this, other changes up until now would have seemed pretty dramatic, will seem pretty mundane and easy to handle. Steve Rush: And it will create a new foundation of resilience, I think, for us all, won't it? As we come through the other side and I think without AQ, we probably won't be the cope. John Spence: Agreed and I love the word you just use, resilience. We are going to need courage, vulnerability and resilience to get through this. Extremely well said, Steve. Steve Rush: Thank you, John. This part of the show, we are going to ask all our guests to share their golden nuggets, the secrets. Now, when you have read thousands of books and as you have, I should imagine to narrow that down to three is going to be a massive challenge but I am going to set you the task, so if you could identify. What will be the top three Leadership Hacks? What will they be? John Spence: Number one, which is the most important thing I have ever learned. I have done two TEDx talks…. is dedicate yourself to lifelong learning. You have seen a theme through all that but if you study successful leaders through time, they were avid learners, not just readers, but they were curious. You use that word earlier, curious. So stay curious, be I like say, addicted to learning. That would be my first nugget. Number two is ask for help. You can't do this alone, which leads to the third one, which is a combination of the two and the single most important thing I've ever learned in my life. Which is you become what you focus on and like the people you spend time with, whatever your studying, whatever your reading, whatever you're learning, whatever you fill your mind with and whoever you choose to spend your time with will directly determine which your life will look like a decade from now. Steve Rush: I love those top three hacks. Thank you. I remember when I was in San Francisco, was talking to a seed fund investor, and his little nugget was your net-worth equals your network.  John Spence: Exactly. There is a good friend of mine, Tim Sanders, wrote a book called Love is The Killer App and he broke it down to these three things, K, N and L. To be successful in your career. You must be bright, sharp, smart and talented is something that is highly valuable in the marketplace that is the K, Knowledge. Network is the N. A lot of the right people need to know that about you and by right people, that's what I call hubs. People that if they are really impressed with how much you know and how valuable it is, they don't tell two or three people. They will tell 20, or 30 or 200 or 300 or 2000 through their giant networks. As long as you have the last one, the L, which is love. If you are a kind, loving person of integrity, a lot of the right people know that about you. And they also know that you're really good at something that's highly valuable. You have the foundation for a World-Class career. Steve Rush: We've got a double bubble on our Hacks, thank you so much. The next thing I would really love to explore is that having the extensive career and indeed learning from all of the things you have experienced there bound to a time where things have not worked out so well. Maybe we screwed up. We call this Hack to Attack in The Leadership Hacker Podcast, what would be your Hack to Attack that you could share with our listeners? John Spence: This is one that took me twenty, twenty-five years to learn. I am a very, very logical, data driven person. I like information, ideas, research numbers, blah, blah, blah. And I was really against the idea of leading with your gut but what I've learned over the years, and it's because I have entered into partnerships or business arrangements are hire people that there were red flags and I felt a little uncomfortable. I felt a little easy but I would be like, I don't feel decisions. I make decisions on facts. I realize now that when I see a couple red flags and I start to feel like something is wrong, that I will listen to that and more often than not, that should be a major determinant in my decision making, which is very hard for me to say. I have made many failures because I did not listen to my emotions, and my feelings and my concerns and my worries. Steve Rush: It is really fascinating. Thank you, John. I have done lots of research on this, too. And this is comes from a neurological response to the pattern recognition that we unconsciously aware of, so we're scanning thousands and thousands and thousands of situations we may only be present all. Identify with one or two things in front of us but the unconscious mind is scanning millions and millions and millions of experiences for our life and our work, and it's giving that both meaning our brains a little nudge to say, pay attention to this. And of course, while we can't use our gut as the defining, it's definitely true. We should absolutely pay attention to it.  John Spence: That was a very hard lesson for me to learn. Steve Rush: But you have learned that and as a result of learning from it, it's now paying dividends for you in your life and your work, so well then thank you. And then the last thing we want to explore with you would be that if you're able to turn the clock back and give it a time travel and you bump into John at 21, what would be the one bit of advice that you would give him? John Spence: Wow, that is really hard. I think it would be to stay really curious and ask for help. And we've covered those because they've been so fundamental to me building a great career and early in my career, I was very confident I was right. I would argue with people, no, I am right. I got this. I understand it better than you do. I would argue with people 30 years older than me and then one day I woke up and realized, I'm not right. I have an opinion; I have a way that I see things from my perspective. And it's a well-thought out, a well-reasoned opinion, but it's just an opinion, so I would have said to myself, you know, you're not right, stay curious ask for help. Lots of other people have other ways to look at things and they're just as right as you are. So calm down, just calm down, John. Steve Rush: Thank you John that is super. So as folks listening to us talk today. I am fairly sure that they'd be thinking John mentioned TEDx and also books and information. How can people get to learn a little bit more about what you are doing now and find some of the content that you have been able to create over your career? John Spence: My Web site is JohnSpence.com but I am going to really encourage folks I've got to sign up for my blog slash newsletter. I've got a newsletter that comes out every two weeks and it is based on all of the stuff I'm reading. When I read a really good article, something fantastic that I am impressed with. I tweet it and my newsletter grabs all those tweets, but here is the cool thing. It is driven by AI, It's got an algorithm there when you open, my newsletter and you start to read stuff that watches what you open, how long you read it and it figures out what you're interested in. And it continues to customize your newsletter more and more and more on the things that are of the most interest to you. So as you as it continues to go, it gets smarter and smarter, and I learned probably 300 articles in a month and it will only pick the top dozen or so that it knows that you're going to be most interested in. And then I only write a blog when it's something, again, I feel strongly about. I don't put one out every week. I just put one out when there is something that I feel is valuable for folks to read, so if you get to my Website, sign up for the newsletter, just sign up for the blog you get both and that will give you direct access to everything I'm reading and studying right now.  Steve Rush: And machine learning doing all the hard work for us. What could be better? John, that's kind of bought us to a natural conclusion for us spending some time together today. I just want to say it has been super, super useful. There is some great models, some great thinking in there that are going to help our listeners go away and reflect on their approach to reading and commitment to lifelong learning. And I'm hopeful this podcast will also help create the energy and excitement around the foundations for AQ. John Spence, thank you for joining us on The Leadership Hacker Podcast. John Spence: Absolutely my honour and my pleasure. Thank you.   Closing Steve Rush: I genuinely want to say heartfelt thanks for taking time out of your day to listen in too. We do this in the service of helping others, and spreading the word of leadership. Without you listening in, there would be no show. So please subscribe now if you have not done so already. Share this podcast with your communities, network, and help us develop a community and a tribe of leadership hackers. Finally, if you would like me to work with your senior team, your leadership community, keynote an event, or you would like to sponsor an episode. Please connect with us, by our social media. And you can do that by following and liking our pages on Twitter and Facebook our handler their @leadershiphacker. Instagram you can find us there @the_leadership_hacker and at YouTube, we are just Leadership Hacker, so that is me signing off. I am Steve Rush and I have been the leadership hacker.  

Welcome to the very first Leadership Hacker Podcast. This is the new Podcast for leadership ideas, leadership development and learning about leadership. To celebrate this episode we are giving away 10 signed first edition books and 10 e-copies too. Each show, we will interview best-selling leadership authors, C-suite executives and leadership development experts, so I can hack into their minds and help you learn more about leadership and leading others. Here's some of the topics and guest you can learn from: David Marquet – www.davidmarquet.com "Start your question with How?" Andy Brogan – www.easierinc.com "Followership vs. Fellowship" Byron Low – www.byronlow.com "Turn thoughts into tools" Tony Burkinshaw – www.tonyburkinshaw.co.uk "Vision is not just for Visuals" Govert Van Sandwijk – www.timetogrowglobal.com "Shut up, sit down and ask questions" Andrew Bryant – www.selfleadership.com "Self leadership and self mastery" Simon Tyler – www.simontyler.com "No hack like your hack" John Spence – www.johnspence.com "Be curious" Michelle Boxx - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellemstansbury/ "How you team process internally" Michael G Rogers https://www.teamworkandleadership.com "Really care about your people" Avi Liran – http://www.deliveringdelight.com "Contribution, trust and influence" Steve Rush – That's me www.leadershipcake.com "The essential ingredients in Leadership - C.A.K.E.   If you haven't subscribed to the Leadership Hacker Podcast yet – please do so now, and you will not miss an episode of us hacking leadership tips, ideas insights and leadership hacks. Join our social media Tribe - follow us on: Linkedin (Steve) Linkedin - The Leadership Hacker Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Tumblr   Music: " Upbeat Party " by Scott Holmes courtesy of the Free Music Archive FMA   ----more----   TRANSCRIPT The Leadership Hacker Podcast Episode 1 with Various Guests – Hack Away [Start 00:00:00]   [Music Playing]   Introduction   Steve: Some call me Steve, Dad, husband, or friend. Others might call me boss, coach or mentor. Today you can call me The Leadership Hacker.   Thanks for listening in. I really appreciate it. My job as the leadership hacker is to hack into the minds, experiences, habits and learning of great leaders, C-Suite executives, authors, and development experts so that I can assist you, developing your understanding and awareness of leadership.   I'm Steve Rush and I'm your host today. I'm the author of Leadership Cake. I'm a transformation consultant and leadership coach. I can't wait to start sharing all things leadership with you.   Welcome to the very first Leadership Hacker podcast. I'm incredibly excited and I'm grateful for you tuning in. Today's show will give you a flavor of what you can expect from future shows, what kind of things you'll experience and how by subscribing now will mean that you won't miss any of our regular lineup of guests, their stories, their future hacks, and their great leadership insights. To celebrate our launch and as a special thank you for subscribing to the show, I'll be giving away 10 signed first edition copies of my book Leadership Cake along with 10 e-copies too. Stick around to the end of the show. Find out how you can win.   Picture the scene. I want you to imagine you're traveling to your favorite destination. You get stuck on your journey or you're delayed, maybe at the airport or train station, and you have got some time on your hands. Perhaps it's lunchtime for where you work, and the restless curious inner self says I want to learn, gather insights, tips and ideas about leadership and leading others. So, you reach for your device, and when you open where you normally download your podcast, you hit The Leadership Hacker and subscribe.   So by now you probably wondering how by subscribing to The Leadership Hacker podcast that will help me fill my time, right? Well, each show I will have a guest or guests join me and share what leadership means for them, how they've learned from others, and how they'll pass on their tips and experiences with you. We'll introduce you to how you can learn more about each guest and grow your knowledge base. Each show will look at the news and explore where leadership is present - or not, as the case may be - in global events, and understand the role that leadership has played in global decision making. As well we've also grow our community of leadership hackers over time, and as we do, we'll learn from each other.    Today's show is going to be a bit of a smorgasbord of future guests and friends of the show sharing their top hacks and tips to give you a snippet of what's to come. Today I'm going to explore with you the principles of leadership comfort, and if that supports growth and results or how in fact, it might hold a team back, but first, it's Leadership Hacker News.   The Leadership Hacker News Everywhere you turn in the news at the moment, you'll bump into a story about Covid-19, or commonly known as Coronavirus. The question we need to ask is, does leadership or has leadership played a part, in either its spread or containment? Just like with a national or international crisis like coronavirus, when disaster happens, it's not about the disaster, but how you respond and you react to it. Some say the World Health Organization was too slow from December to February, in giving clarity and direction and insight as to how to contain the virus, whereas others look to the leadership of China to over trade on goodwill and to damp down its severity, both of which can play an important part in how people respond to a situation. So if you think this is a leadership hack that we need to hack into, send us your insights. Comment on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, and let's get the debate going.   Let's go to our first hack of the show. It's retired US Navy captain and best-selling author of Turn the Ship Around and Leadership is Language, David Marquet.   David: Steve, my top leadership hack. Start your question with how. How sure are you? Not, are you sure?    Steve: Thanks David. What a neat idea, and a great way to find out better data. Are you sure? Yes, or no? Bad data? How sure are you? This means that someone's got respond with a level of certainty or assurance, which gives you as a leader an opportunity to ask more questions. So, let's go to our next hack.   Andy: This is Andy Brogan from Easier Inc. My hack for leaders is to stop thinking of leadership as on a continuum with followership. Leadership isn't about creating followership; it's about creating fellowship, and in that regard, leaders can come from anywhere. It's not a role. It's an activity. Perhaps, more correctly, it's two activities. The first one is the act of leadership, being about ensuring that what really matters really matters here. And the second one being that of leadership is about growing fellowship, and that means that what really matters here has to include what really matters to each other.   Steve: Great words, Andy. I really love that whole principle of fellowship. It's about creating an environment where there is an absolute connectivity with the people who you lead and the people who you work with, and the whole principle of fellowship versus followership I think most people can really resonate with. Superb stuff!   So up next, we have coaching catalyst and leadership expert, Byron Lowe. What's your leadership hack, Byron?    Byron: Hi, Steve. My number one leadership hack is turning thoughts into tools. I believe anyone can learn how to turn their most useful thoughts into tools that can help them grow, solve problems, live the life they want, and experience meaningful and fulfilling work, and it all begins with our thoughts.       Steve: Thanks Byron. What a really interesting philosophy, and we all have our faults, and we all have the ability to influence others, but do we genuinely think of our thoughts as being tools in our kitbag as leaders? So we're going to have one more leadership hack and then we're going to turn our thoughts to think about how we deal with comfort, and whether it helps us or holds us back, but first is over to Tony Burkinshaw, Harley Street cognitive hypnotherapist with his leadership hack.    Tony:  Hi Steve, it's Tony Burkinshaw. When sharing visions, I think vision is a really important part of leadership, but in terms of vision, making sure that each member of your team, the team you're leading, can share that vision. Not everybody does visual equally well so the name ‘vision' is a bit of a misnomer. So be prepared to share your vision in a variety of different ways, to make sure that each member of your team is fully on board with it, and can absorb it in their own preferential way.   Steve: It's a great call, Tony. So, we all see the world, feel the world and experience the world in different ways, and vision by default appeals to those people who have a vision or a seeing experience of the world in the way they represent the world, and therefore we need to be thoughtful of those people who are more auditory or more kinesthetic, and need that feeling and sense. So in describing a vision, make sure that you've described it visually, auditory, and with some feeling too.    So, I want to tell you a little bit of the story as to why comfort could be a problem in us achieving great performance. Just think back on your last 24 hours. You woke up and I suspect you followed many routines - took your coffee, went to the same train station, or airport, took the same route if you're driving. When you get to work, you find there is a little routine or pattern of behaviors that you do throughout the day, most of which might be unconscious, but we've created this bubble. The bubble is there in our life and our work too, and it's a bubble of routine and comfort. We are creatures of comfort and creatures of habit.    However, when we're looking to achieve high performance, holding us back is the enemy called comfort. Why is that such a problem, I hear you cry? Well, feeling good and feeling assured is right, but comfort creates habits and habits don't look for opportunities, unless we create new habits that force us into new behaviors. Perfect example - I'm not a broadcaster, but I am today. So the start of this Leadership Hacker podcast for me is me moving outside of my comfort zone and trying new things and testing new ways so that I can help others broaden their awareness of what leadership is.   I want to share a story with you about one of my childhood heroes. As a young boy growing up, I was a big racing fan. There was a Formula One World Champion at the time called Mario Andretti, and year on year he managed to find new track records, and new ways of driving, and engineers and spectators alike were really spellbound by the way he used to control his car, and I remember as a young child watching him being interviewed, and in one particular interview he was asked, so Mario, how is it that you find new ways of doing things behind the wheel of a car? And his response was, when I find myself being too much in control and feeling too comfortable, I know I'm not pushing myself hard enough.    And we can all look around our towns and our cities, and when we look back 5 years and 10 years ago, there were stores on the corner that are no longer there, that were vibrant businesses that were no longer there. And when we transfer that to sports teams who are sometimes top of the leagues and top of their games and then don't sustain it, when you dig deep, what you find is complacency and comfort. Only way to change new things and find new ways of working is to get hold of your discomfort. And being really clear about what it is you want to achieve and how you're going to do that.     What's most important is doing nothing creates more comfort and more satisfaction, and we need to find a way as leaders to help our team move away from what they know to be true and comfortable and to help them explore new, exciting and alluring ways of working, and in doing so you could find great performance. So, let's hear from one of our other friends of the show. Who's up next with their leadership hack?       Govert: So… Govert van Sandwijk here, and I've got the following leadership hack and this goes for leaders on all levels so it doesn't matter whether you're a team leader, a frontline manager, or the Chief Executive Officer. You find yourself in front of your team during a team meeting. You start to think, hey, why is my team so passive? And actually, you're a little bit irritated.    As soon as you as a leader start to have those feelings, then basically, you have to check your own behavior. Sit down, shut up, ask a question which will for sure activate the team. So again, the leadership hack is when you start to feel, hey, my team is too passive. Why are they not being more participative in the meeting? Why are they not saying anything else? Check your own behavior. Shut up, sit down, ask a question, and let them become active.   Steve: Thanks for that hack, Govert. What this tells us guys is we are all human, and we will all have a natural neurological response, and what Govert's sharing is that strategy for dealing with that moment where that chimp inside us, or the amygdala in our limbic system has triggered a neurological threat response in us, take some time out, ask a question. It allows us to regain our cognitive awareness of how we can respond and respond in the right way. So let's go to another leadership hack. Who's up next? Andrew: Hi.. This is Andrew Bryant, Author of Self Leadership, how to become a more successful effective and efficient leader from the inside out; and of course my top leadership hack is to practice self-leadership which I define as, “the practice of intentionally influencing your thinking, feeling and actions towards your objectives. You see, self-leadership contains self-mastery, that ability to move yourself towards your vision, and alignment with your values. You see, when you practice self-leadership and personal mastery, you become an influencer and a more effective leader, so this is my top leadership hack from Andrew Bryant – the self-leadership coach.   Thank you Andrew. He's right isn't he, the reason why you are listening to this Podcast today is part self-mastery which we can also define as life long learning. The more we learn, the better leader we become, the better leader we become,  the more we have to give and offer others.   Now out next guest has become renowned for creating simplicity   Simon: Hello, Steve. This is Simon Tyler, coach, facilitator and author, author of The Attitude Book, Keep it Simple Book, The Impact Book, The Simple Way, and I'm here today to talk to you about my hack you've asked me to come up with. There's no hack like your hack.    There's something about the whole world of all these wonderful ideas that come at us that we pick them all up or drawn to them, we think we want to do something about them. But in truth, the ones that we need are really appropriate and curtailed and personal just to us. So, I say again, there's no hack like your hack. But if I was to land on one thing, Steve, it would be awareness. Anything you can do to wake up your awareness, to heighten what you know about you and notice about you, the better it will be for you. And as you go through any exercise to heighten your awareness, it's not about what you do with it. Simply the awareness can be enough. First, pause more often. That means in your speech, in your day, in your working week, even if it's just for a minute, or an hour every few days. It's just those gaps and in those gaps is that moment when you can slow stuff down, and will start to notice stuff around you and about you. And I look forward to helping you and any of the people that listen to this podcast heighten their awareness.    Steve: And awareness is a real key attribute for great leaders, isn't it? The perception of a situation or effect of being able to adjust our style, so that we can be the best we can be. And to our next hack, we go to friend of the show, John Spence.    John: Hey, Steve, this is John Spence. And my leadership hack is to be curious, to ask thoughtful questions, focused questions, and then be an intense listener. If you hire great people, which you should be, then you want to take every opportunity you can to get their feedback, best ideas, suggestions, to get their help, which will help you grow your business and become an even better leader. So that's my leadership hack. Steve.   Steve: That's a great message, John. Thank you, and for me curious is about wanting to learn, wanting to learn more about my people, wanting to learn more about my clients, my environment, my community, and actually just learning about me too on that, where curiosity can stimulate things in me to ask questions about my capabilities and can I do and can't I do, and what's causing me to think that way. So great message. So, let's get to our next hack.    I want to introduce Michelle Boxx, CEO at Boxxbury Business, Speaker, Columnist, and all-around business advocate, Hi, Michelle.   Michelle: Hey, Steve, this is Michelle Box, the blonde fixer. My leadership hack would be to get aware of how your team processes, whether it be internally or externally. It's not that the quiet person in the room doesn't have anything to offer. They just need a few minutes in the meeting to process internally before they speak up. Creating that space within a meeting allows everyone to be heard and the best ideas to come forward.   Steve: And that's great, and in my experience, the best ideas are ones that just take a little bit of nuancing and a little bit of thinking. And if you have people in your team who are sound in their ideas, they're being thoughtful, they're being introspective, it's our job as leaders too to make sure that we're involving them, and being thoughtful. Keep an eye out for the body language, the nonverbal cues. The book tells us people have something to say and it's important that we help them say it. So, I'm now going to introduce you to a future guest and friend of the show, Michael G. Rogers. Welcome to the show, Michael.   Michael: If I was to provide one leadership hack, it would be to really care about your people. And the reason why is because when you care about your people, they will care about their work.  There was a Gallup survey done, where people were asked whether their supervisor or anyone else at work cared about them. Only four out of ten strongly agree with that statement. That means six out of ten people don't feel cared about or at least had the perception of not feeling cared about at work. We have to bridge that gap. Perception of reality are not the same thing here. If I ask the leader whether they care about their people, I'm sure every one of them would say they would, but that's not how employees feel. So we have to get to a point where we can demonstrate that and employees can feel that because again, care about your people and they will care about their work.   Steve: Such a simple message, Michael, but I wonder how many of us as leaders take the conscious time out to evaluate how we're caring about people, and ultimately caring about people helps create trust. The more trust you have, the more honest and more candid conversations you have, and the more of those conversations you have, the easier is to cut through complexity and drive great results too.    Okay, we're going to go to our final hack for today's show. I'm going to take you to Chief Delighting Officer, Avi Liran.   Avi: My name is Avi Liran, and my leadership hack tip is actually starting with a question. What is the one thing, one action, one verb, one mind-state way of life, that if you do that one thing - unconditionally, consistently, continuously - it will be the quickest way for you to earn trust, gain influence, be accepted and feel a sense of belonging, even if you're very new, and feel happy together with the people around you? Well, the answer is very simple. It's contribution, and the difference between contribution and giving is contribution adds value that the other people need, so go, contribute and make a better world for yourself and others.   Steve: Avi, thank you for giving us that delightful message around contribution. I think it's incumbent on us all as leaders to really create value when we contribute to others. So hey, it would be unfair of me to leave you today without me passing on my contribution of my lifelong leadership and dedication to learning about leaders and leadership. And I find that there are four essential ingredients in leading others. not the only ingredients, but they are essential ones.   All great leaders I've ever worked with, and for, have been great communicators. They learned to adapt their communication style. I call them communication adapters. They're able to flex in an instant how they can change their tone, their pitch and pace, so that they can build rapport, affinity and still be relevant. I find that all great leaders are authentic. They just demonstrate who they really are and what they're really about. They don't mimic, they don't copy, they are just who they are, and knowledgeable but not overly knowledgeable, about the business they're running. Too many leaders spend so much time immersing themselves into the detail of the complexity of their business, it gives them no room for asking crazy questions.   And the most important ingredient that I find in leaders that binds people together - empathy! Empathy and understanding about what people do, how they do it, their motivations and their reasons, creates the real context and cohesiveness in helping others lead too. Communication. Authenticity. Knowledge, and Empathy.   So at the beginning of the show, I said to stick around to find out how you can get a copy of my book, The Leadership Cake. We're giving away 10 signed first edition copies and 10 e-copies, and here's how to do it.     First things first, you need to subscribe to our podcast. That's number one. Number two, we've got a number of different mediums and social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, YouTube, etc. Go ahead and subscribe or like two of those, and in your social media channels just say ‘today I listened to the Leadership Hacker podcast today, and the key thing that I learned was…. whatever that was.    So just to remind you three things - subscribe, join our social media tribe, and in there share, I listened to the leadership hacker podcast today, and I learned this. We'll take a straw poll from all the people that do so, and we'll announce the winners and post those books out first-class around the world, next week.   So, we're coming to the end of our very first ever leadership hacker podcast. I just wanted to say a massive thank you to the guests that appeared on today's show. You'll be in for some more of those as the weeks and months progress.   I generally want to say a heartfelt thanks for taking time out of your day to listening too. We do this in the service of helping others and spreading the word of leadership. Without you listening in, there would be no show. So please subscribe now if you haven't done so already. Share this podcast with your communities and network, and help us develop a community and a tribe of leadership hackers.   And finally, if you'd like me to work with your senior team, your leadership community, keynote an event or you would like to sponsor an episode, please connect with us on social media, and you can do that by following and liking our pages on Twitter or Facebook. Our handle there is at @leadershiphacker. Instagram, you can find us there at the_leadership_hacker, and on YouTube, we're just Leadership Hacker.   So that's me signing off.     I'm Steve Rush, and I have been The Leadership Hacker.     Music: " Upbeat Party " by Scott Holmes courtesy of the Free Music Archive FMA  

John Spence is an international keynote speaker and author of five books. He is recognised as one of the Top 100 Business Thought Leaders in America Top 100 Small Business Influencers in America Top 100 Global Thought Leader in the area of Trustworthy Business Behaviour Top 500 Leadership Development Expert in the world Top 100 Leadership Speaker Named CEO of a Rockefeller Foundation at the age of 26 In this episode, John shares with us: His 6 step formula to attracting elite talent so you can do the same The business excellence formula that took him over 20 years to develop How should we lead with purpose in business? How leadership has changed over the years? Lessons he has learnt acting as CEO of a Rockefeller Foundation at the age of 26 Sales and negotiation strategies he has mastered from closing a $3 Billion deal What he would do if he were to start from zero and had to build it all back up again? Learn more about John's work here: https://johnspence.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbspence https://www.youtube.com/user/flycasterjbs Want the exact 8-Step AD formula I use to generate countless leads and bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars? Download it here: https://www.locate852.com/ultimateadtemplate Join The Atlas Community here: https://www.locate852.com/fb

For more than 22 years John has travelled upwards of 200 days-a-year worldwide helping people and businesses be more successful. John is the author of seven books, a keynote speaker, business consultant, and executive coach to numerous clients ranging Fortune 500 firms all the way to small to medium-sized businesses around the globe!! Super pumped to dig more into John’s story so welcome to the show!! You can reach John at johnspence.com https://twitter.com/SpenceBizLeader (‎@SpenceBizLeader) For more info and resources check out https://www.businessgenerals.com/ (www.businessgenerals.com) Thanks for tuning in!! Davis

John Spence is an international business thought leader and influencer, and also a guest lecturer at universities such as Harvard, Stanford and The University of Pennsylvania. According to John, reading is the path to success in business, and at school. John is an avid reader, and claims that reading has made a lasting impact on his life and career. I caught up with John to find out more about his story, and what insight he has for Australian students, parents and educators. To find out more about John Spence, visit www.johnspence.com To find out more about LearnFast and individualised reading programs for your child, visit www.learnfasthome.com.au. To comment on this podcast, send your emails to feedback@learnfastgroup.com.au

ABOUT THE GUEST http://www.johnspence.com At the age of just 26, John was named CEO of an international Rockefeller foundation, overseeing projects in 20 countries and reporting directly to the Chairman of the Board, Winthrop P. Rockefeller III. Three years later Inc. Magazine's “Zinc Online” recognized him as one of America's up and coming young business leaders. John has twice been named as one of the Top 100 Business Thought Leaders in America and has been recognized on a global list of the top 100 Thought Leaders in the area of “Trustworthy Business Behavior.” ABOUT THE EPISODE This is an incredibly quotable episode! Our guest John Spence shares a lifetime of experience in leadership development, business, work/life balance, and a whole lot more. If you're interested in being able to have world-class mentors, John shares the secret on guaranteeing they say yes to you. Full show notes here: http://www.alifewelldesigned.com/podcast/alwd-0013-inte…th-john-spence/ SUBSCRIBEiTunesStitcher GET THE WORD OUTIf you like what we're doing, subscribe on iTunes, rate it, and leave us a review. That's a huge boost. Thanks!