How do you build a culture of excellence? You begin with WE.

On this episode of the Circuit of Success Podcast, Brett Gilliland interviews best-selling author, inspirational speaker, and leadership expert Kyle McDowell. Together they break down McDowell’s best seller Begin With WE and the top principles of creating and sustaining a culture of excellence. Kyle shares his experience of transitioning from a corporate career to starting his own business, and how he was able to make a positive change in his life by investing in himself and his passions. Kyle emphasizes the importance of leading by example, taking action, and focusing on outcomes rather than busyness to create a unified culture within an organization.

Are you looking to lead with excellence?

You don’t wanna miss this…

FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE

 

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Welcome to the Circuit of Success. I’m your 00:00:16.000 –> 00:00:19.000
host, Brett Gilliland. Today, I’ve got Kyle McDowell 00:00:19.000 –> 00:00:20.000
with me, Kyle. What’s up, buddy? 00:00:23.000 –> 00:00:25.000
Hey, Brett. I’m well. It’s great to be 00:00:25.000 –> 00:00:27.000
with you today. I appreciate you, you having 00:00:27.000 –> 00:00:27.000
me. 00:00:28.000 –> 00:00:29.000
It’s great to be with you as well, 00:00:29.000 –> 00:00:31.000
man. I’m excited. I I hope based on 00:00:31.000 –> 00:00:33.000
what I’ve seen about you and your energy, 00:00:33.000 –> 00:00:35.000
we’re gonna have an awesome conversation today, man, 00:00:35.000 –> 00:00:37.000
so I’m fired up. 00:00:38.000 –> 00:00:40.000
Likewise. I hope so. I’m I’m just thrilled 00:00:40.000 –> 00:00:42.000
to be here. I anytime I get a 00:00:42.000 –> 00:00:43.000
chance to kind of spread the message and 00:00:44.000 –> 00:00:46.000
evangelize the work that I’m doing, especially on 00:00:46.000 –> 00:00:47.000
a podcast that’s been around as long as 00:00:47.000 –> 00:00:50.000
yours, I jump at it. So, again, thank 00:00:50.000 –> 00:00:53.000
you. Awesome. Awesome. Well, you are a former 00:00:53.000 –> 00:00:55.000
fortune ten executive that turned to a Wall 00:00:55.000 –> 00:00:58.000
Street and USA Today best selling author. 00:00:58.000 –> 00:01:00.000
And speaker. You’re traveling the world man on 00:01:00.000 –> 00:01:02.000
all sorts of stages, but before we dive 00:01:02.000 –> 00:01:04.000
it, man, you are today, man. There’s a 00:01:04.000 –> 00:01:07.000
backstory in there. And something that makes Kyle 00:01:07.000 –> 00:01:08.000
tick, and I’d love to see if we 00:01:08.000 –> 00:01:10.000
can pull some of that out. 00:01:11.000 –> 00:01:13.000
Yeah. You thank you for that. I’d be 00:01:13.000 –> 00:01:15.000
remiss because I if I didn’t just start 00:01:15.000 –> 00:01:16.000
early on. 00:01:17.000 –> 00:01:19.000
I I I was very fortunate to have, 00:01:21.000 –> 00:01:24.000
a mother who had an incredible work ethic, 00:01:24.000 –> 00:01:26.000
out she was a single parent mom for, 00:01:27.000 –> 00:01:29.000
the first several years of of my life 00:01:29.000 –> 00:01:31.000
until she met a wonderful man who became 00:01:31.000 –> 00:01:33.000
my stepdad. And, you know, they always instilled 00:01:33.000 –> 00:01:34.000
a sense of work ethic in me that 00:01:34.000 –> 00:01:35.000
I just don’t think 00:01:36.000 –> 00:01:38.000
you can replicate. I don’t I think it’s 00:01:38.000 –> 00:01:40.000
hard to to teach it if it doesn’t 00:01:40.000 –> 00:01:42.000
start at an early age. 00:01:42.000 –> 00:01:44.000
So I just learned the value of a 00:01:44.000 –> 00:01:46.000
dollar and the value of 00:01:46.000 –> 00:01:48.000
or the connection rather between 00:01:48.000 –> 00:01:50.000
hard work and outcomes. If you want something, 00:01:50.000 –> 00:01:52.000
you gotta go work for it. I’ll never 00:01:52.000 –> 00:01:54.000
forget, man. Growing up every time a new 00:01:54.000 –> 00:01:56.000
pair of Air Jordans would hit the would 00:01:56.000 –> 00:01:57.000
hit the stores. 00:01:57.000 –> 00:01:59.000
And I wanted those things every single year, 00:01:59.000 –> 00:02:01.000
the new the new shoe would come out. 00:02:01.000 –> 00:02:02.000
I knew what I had to do. I 00:02:02.000 –> 00:02:04.000
had to put in weeks of yard work. 00:02:04.000 –> 00:02:05.000
It was always the recipe. 00:02:05.000 –> 00:02:06.000
So, 00:02:07.000 –> 00:02:09.000
I entered corporate America at seventeen, 00:02:09.000 –> 00:02:12.000
ironically, or of, believe it or not. I, 00:02:12.000 –> 00:02:13.000
I interviewed for a job at a local 00:02:13.000 –> 00:02:15.000
bank when I was seventeen years old. 00:02:16.000 –> 00:02:18.000
I rolled the dice that if I were 00:02:18.000 –> 00:02:20.000
to get an offer, the offer would come 00:02:20.000 –> 00:02:22.000
sometime after my eighteenth birthday because they wouldn’t 00:02:22.000 –> 00:02:23.000
have hired me if they’d known I was 00:02:23.000 –> 00:02:25.000
a minor. Right. And it worked. So I 00:02:25.000 –> 00:02:28.000
interviewed in June of nineteen ninety three got 00:02:28.000 –> 00:02:30.000
the offer in July started in August, 00:02:31.000 –> 00:02:33.000
and, I’ve been a kind of a student 00:02:33.000 –> 00:02:35.000
of of leadership 00:02:36.000 –> 00:02:38.000
in in the dynamics that come with working 00:02:38.000 –> 00:02:39.000
inside of corporate America, 00:02:40.000 –> 00:02:42.000
for the last nearly thirty years. So that’s 00:02:42.000 –> 00:02:44.000
I think that’s That’s what brings us here 00:02:44.000 –> 00:02:46.000
today, but I I have to share also, 00:02:46.000 –> 00:02:47.000
man. I, 00:02:48.000 –> 00:02:50.000
throughout that thirty year journey, and I’m sure 00:02:50.000 –> 00:02:52.000
you and and Certainly, many of your listeners 00:02:52.000 –> 00:02:54.000
might be able to relate. 00:02:54.000 –> 00:02:57.000
I found myself becoming more and more apathetic 00:02:57.000 –> 00:02:57.000
towards 00:02:58.000 –> 00:03:00.000
the whole thing. Towards the whole gig, man. 00:03:00.000 –> 00:03:02.000
And when I say gig, I mean, everything 00:03:02.000 –> 00:03:03.000
that comes with 00:03:04.000 –> 00:03:05.000
working inside the corporate world, 00:03:06.000 –> 00:03:07.000
the bureaucracy 00:03:08.000 –> 00:03:10.000
see the dysfunction, the toxicity, all of the 00:03:10.000 –> 00:03:12.000
things. And I’m the first to admit, by 00:03:12.000 –> 00:03:14.000
the way, man. I I perpetuated a lot 00:03:14.000 –> 00:03:16.000
of that. When you’re leading big organizations, 00:03:16.000 –> 00:03:19.000
you’re put in a position where lather rinse 00:03:19.000 –> 00:03:20.000
repeat what’s always worked will continue to work. 00:03:20.000 –> 00:03:23.000
So you just kinda perpetuate that same toxicity 00:03:23.000 –> 00:03:23.000
and dysfunction. 00:03:24.000 –> 00:03:26.000
Yep. And I just I hit a boiling 00:03:26.000 –> 00:03:28.000
point late in my career probably around year 00:03:28.000 –> 00:03:31.000
twenty three where I I just said there 00:03:31.000 –> 00:03:32.000
has to be a better way. 00:03:33.000 –> 00:03:35.000
And that’s when I came up with the 00:03:35.000 –> 00:03:37.000
concept that ultimately resulted in the book that 00:03:37.000 –> 00:03:38.000
you mentioned at the top. And, 00:03:39.000 –> 00:03:41.000
it’s changed my life, actually. The the the 00:03:41.000 –> 00:03:44.000
realization I came to about you know, leading 00:03:44.000 –> 00:03:46.000
with a we mindset and getting to know 00:03:46.000 –> 00:03:48.000
your people and investing your time and energy 00:03:48.000 –> 00:03:50.000
into them. Just certainly, it changed my professional 00:03:50.000 –> 00:03:52.000
life, and that is I’m so happy to 00:03:52.000 –> 00:03:54.000
say it’s transcended into my personal life as 00:03:54.000 –> 00:03:55.000
well and my relationships. 00:03:56.000 –> 00:03:57.000
Well, I think we you and I have 00:03:57.000 –> 00:03:58.000
a lot in common. I mean, it’s 00:03:59.000 –> 00:04:01.000
a career decision that we made. I made 00:04:01.000 –> 00:04:03.000
mine at twelve and a half years in 00:04:03.000 –> 00:04:05.000
my professional career. You made yours. It sounds 00:04:05.000 –> 00:04:07.000
like at at at twenty two years, but 00:04:07.000 –> 00:04:08.000
I was the same way, man. And I 00:04:08.000 –> 00:04:10.000
say this is that as my success, 00:04:10.000 –> 00:04:13.000
you know, quote unquote success was going like 00:04:13.000 –> 00:04:13.000
that. 00:04:14.000 –> 00:04:15.000
My job satisfaction, 00:04:15.000 –> 00:04:18.000
my career satisfaction was going the other direction. 00:04:18.000 –> 00:04:21.000
And, you know, I I had a a 00:04:21.000 –> 00:04:23.000
nice firm and and a nice office and 00:04:23.000 –> 00:04:24.000
and things like that, but it it just 00:04:24.000 –> 00:04:27.000
didn’t feel right. You know, and so now 00:04:27.000 –> 00:04:28.000
same to you. Like, my, 00:04:29.000 –> 00:04:31.000
you know, our firm now, our our mission, 00:04:31.000 –> 00:04:34.000
I mean, everything is around that future greater 00:04:34.000 –> 00:04:36.000
than your past. And it has been life 00:04:36.000 –> 00:04:38.000
changing. So I agree with you, but talk 00:04:38.000 –> 00:04:39.000
to the listener right now that’s twenty two 00:04:39.000 –> 00:04:41.000
years in a career, twelve and a half 00:04:41.000 –> 00:04:44.000
years into a career. And they’re scared as 00:04:44.000 –> 00:04:46.000
hell, man, to go make that jump. Bet 00:04:46.000 –> 00:04:48.000
on themselves. Walk away from, you know, the 00:04:48.000 –> 00:04:51.000
04:01 k plan, the health insurance, the nice 00:04:51.000 –> 00:04:53.000
check they’re getting all the stuff you and 00:04:53.000 –> 00:04:56.000
I had. Right? Talk to our listeners about 00:04:56.000 –> 00:04:57.000
that step. 00:04:57.000 –> 00:04:59.000
Well, first, I’m and I’m glad you went 00:04:59.000 –> 00:05:01.000
here because it it’s always a fear of 00:05:01.000 –> 00:05:03.000
mine that when I talk about my transition 00:05:03.000 –> 00:05:06.000
from from the corporate world into starting my 00:05:06.000 –> 00:05:08.000
own deal and and hitting the road to 00:05:08.000 –> 00:05:10.000
evangelize these principles, 00:05:10.000 –> 00:05:11.000
that, 00:05:13.000 –> 00:05:15.000
I don’t want it to be lost or 00:05:15.000 –> 00:05:18.000
that I that leave is scary as all 00:05:18.000 –> 00:05:21.000
get out. It is. It’s absolutely terrifying. 00:05:22.000 –> 00:05:24.000
Especially if you spent as you’ve, you know, 00:05:24.000 –> 00:05:26.000
a dozen plus years, in my case, more 00:05:26.000 –> 00:05:27.000
more than twenty years, 00:05:28.000 –> 00:05:31.000
We get programmed. We are we are absolutely 00:05:31.000 –> 00:05:32.000
programmed to 00:05:33.000 –> 00:05:35.000
get up a certain time, go through the 00:05:35.000 –> 00:05:37.000
same, just, you know, clock in, clock out, 00:05:38.000 –> 00:05:40.000
and look for the next paycheck, looks for 00:05:40.000 –> 00:05:42.000
the next promotion, kinda keep your head down. 00:05:43.000 –> 00:05:45.000
But there’s this expression that hit me, 00:05:47.000 –> 00:05:48.000
right around the time I realized I had 00:05:48.000 –> 00:05:50.000
to make a change and it was they 00:05:50.000 –> 00:05:51.000
pay you to forget your dreams. 00:05:52.000 –> 00:05:56.000
And and there’s no there’s no nefarious scheme 00:05:56.000 –> 00:05:58.000
behind the scenes that that that that this 00:05:58.000 –> 00:05:59.000
that this happens to us, but 00:06:00.000 –> 00:06:02.000
I can tell by your your the way 00:06:02.000 –> 00:06:03.000
you frame the question that you you you 00:06:03.000 –> 00:06:05.000
kinda relate. Right? You you start making that 00:06:05.000 –> 00:06:07.000
paycheck. There’s some security that comes in. I 00:06:07.000 –> 00:06:09.000
had a fair amount of money in the 00:06:09.000 –> 00:06:10.000
bank where I felt comfortable. 00:06:12.000 –> 00:06:13.000
And it just became it it became my 00:06:13.000 –> 00:06:16.000
identity. My my corporate life became my my 00:06:16.000 –> 00:06:18.000
identity. So much so that when I wrote 00:06:18.000 –> 00:06:19.000
the book, I had friends saying I had 00:06:19.000 –> 00:06:22.000
no idea that you were dispassionate about these 00:06:22.000 –> 00:06:24.000
things because I didn’t, you know, Kyle at 00:06:24.000 –> 00:06:26.000
work was different than Kyle at home, which 00:06:26.000 –> 00:06:28.000
is not good. I mean, that’s Right. It’s 00:06:28.000 –> 00:06:30.000
a a lack of authenticity, which is something 00:06:30.000 –> 00:06:31.000
I didn’t realize at the time. 00:06:33.000 –> 00:06:35.000
So for your listeners, to me, it’s 00:06:36.000 –> 00:06:39.000
Never forget that everything we do every single 00:06:39.000 –> 00:06:42.000
day is the result of a choice. 00:06:42.000 –> 00:06:45.000
And you can choose to continue down the 00:06:45.000 –> 00:06:46.000
same path, 00:06:47.000 –> 00:06:48.000
get the two, three percent raise every year, 00:06:48.000 –> 00:06:50.000
you know, maybe get a promotion every few 00:06:50.000 –> 00:06:52.000
years, whatever your your path, wherever your path 00:06:52.000 –> 00:06:54.000
takes you, and that’s not wrong. That’s not 00:06:54.000 –> 00:06:55.000
wrong. 00:06:56.000 –> 00:06:57.000
But the choice to do something different, maybe 00:06:57.000 –> 00:06:57.000
a little, unconventional 00:06:58.000 –> 00:06:59.000
is 00:07:03.000 –> 00:07:05.000
something that I decide that we have because 00:07:05.000 –> 00:07:07.000
they do pay to forget your dreams in 00:07:07.000 –> 00:07:09.000
in suit the sooner you realize there’s a 00:07:09.000 –> 00:07:11.000
choice to be made and that there are 00:07:11.000 –> 00:07:12.000
opportunities 00:07:12.000 –> 00:07:13.000
that are 00:07:13.000 –> 00:07:16.000
virtually unlimited out there today. The number of 00:07:17.000 –> 00:07:18.000
things you can do today is just is 00:07:18.000 –> 00:07:20.000
exponentially higher than it ever was before. 00:07:22.000 –> 00:07:23.000
But that all starts with a choice. Right? 00:07:23.000 –> 00:07:25.000
You you made the choice. I made the 00:07:25.000 –> 00:07:25.000
choice. 00:07:26.000 –> 00:07:27.000
And I don’t want anybody out there to 00:07:27.000 –> 00:07:29.000
hear this and think that, you know, well, 00:07:29.000 –> 00:07:31.000
he’s ascended to a certain level. No. It’s 00:07:31.000 –> 00:07:33.000
it’s it is terrifying at any level when 00:07:33.000 –> 00:07:35.000
you make a decision. I’m calling this chapter 00:07:35.000 –> 00:07:37.000
two of my career because the first chapter, 00:07:37.000 –> 00:07:38.000
I closed the book on about five years 00:07:38.000 –> 00:07:42.000
ago. It is it is scary, but I 00:07:42.000 –> 00:07:43.000
am absolutely convinced. 00:07:43.000 –> 00:07:44.000
My level of impact 00:07:45.000 –> 00:07:48.000
is directly correlated to the level of effort 00:07:48.000 –> 00:07:50.000
in the amount of time I grind at 00:07:50.000 –> 00:07:52.000
this thing I’m doing today, and that is 00:07:52.000 –> 00:07:55.000
no different than anybody else out there. Yeah. 00:07:55.000 –> 00:07:56.000
Well, do you think too you’re working in 00:07:56.000 –> 00:07:58.000
your brain in, you know, line with your 00:07:58.000 –> 00:07:59.000
values and your Gilliland 00:07:59.000 –> 00:08:02.000
and all those things, right, is you’re you’re 00:08:02.000 –> 00:08:04.000
not gonna ever get the impact. That you 00:08:04.000 –> 00:08:06.000
make now because you’re choosing the path that 00:08:06.000 –> 00:08:08.000
you’re going down. And I think there’s so 00:08:08.000 –> 00:08:09.000
much power in the word choice. I love 00:08:09.000 –> 00:08:11.000
that you’re saying that. But don’t you believe 00:08:11.000 –> 00:08:12.000
that? 00:08:13.000 –> 00:08:14.000
Yeah. 00:08:14.000 –> 00:08:16.000
Brett, I do believe it. And I think 00:08:16.000 –> 00:08:17.000
it’s even worse than the way you describe 00:08:17.000 –> 00:08:19.000
it because not only are you not your 00:08:19.000 –> 00:08:22.000
best self when you’re doing something that you 00:08:22.000 –> 00:08:24.000
are, you know, you don’t love or you’re 00:08:24.000 –> 00:08:25.000
not passionate about, 00:08:26.000 –> 00:08:27.000
most companies 00:08:28.000 –> 00:08:30.000
either directly or not. 00:08:30.000 –> 00:08:33.000
They filter you to the point where you 00:08:33.000 –> 00:08:35.000
can’t even be curious. You can’t even You 00:08:35.000 –> 00:08:37.000
know, there’s this concept of being an entrepreneur 00:08:37.000 –> 00:08:39.000
inside of the corporate world, which I think 00:08:39.000 –> 00:08:41.000
is a beautiful concept because you don’t accept 00:08:41.000 –> 00:08:43.000
the status quo. You’re always looking to innovate. 00:08:43.000 –> 00:08:45.000
You’re looking to do things differently. You want 00:08:45.000 –> 00:08:47.000
to have a great experience for your employees 00:08:47.000 –> 00:08:49.000
and your team, and your customers, by the 00:08:49.000 –> 00:08:49.000
way. 00:08:50.000 –> 00:08:53.000
But a lot of organizations, they they filter 00:08:53.000 –> 00:08:55.000
us and kinda dilute our impact to the 00:08:55.000 –> 00:08:56.000
point where 00:08:56.000 –> 00:08:59.000
we there’s no way to to find that 00:08:59.000 –> 00:09:00.000
passion. Because think of where I talk 00:09:01.000 –> 00:09:03.000
about this a lot, man. When we enter 00:09:03.000 –> 00:09:05.000
the workforce, Think back over for your journey 00:09:05.000 –> 00:09:07.000
and and and those that are listening to 00:09:07.000 –> 00:09:09.000
us or watching us now, we all enter 00:09:09.000 –> 00:09:11.000
the workforce with a tremendous amount of optimism. 00:09:12.000 –> 00:09:15.000
Excitement. We wanna have an impact. We wanna 00:09:15.000 –> 00:09:16.000
do big things. 00:09:17.000 –> 00:09:18.000
But most organizations 00:09:19.000 –> 00:09:21.000
don’t necessarily value that or at least not 00:09:21.000 –> 00:09:23.000
to the point where it challenges the status 00:09:23.000 –> 00:09:24.000
quo. It’s kinda like getting lying. Keep your 00:09:24.000 –> 00:09:26.000
head down and and move on. So If 00:09:26.000 –> 00:09:28.000
you’re if we’re, you know, for all of 00:09:28.000 –> 00:09:29.000
us, if we’re able to marry something that 00:09:29.000 –> 00:09:31.000
we’re passionate about 00:09:31.000 –> 00:09:32.000
with a way to make a living and 00:09:32.000 –> 00:09:34.000
support our family, you know, take a trip 00:09:34.000 –> 00:09:35.000
every now and then, 00:09:36.000 –> 00:09:36.000
that’s 00:09:37.000 –> 00:09:38.000
that is 00:09:39.000 –> 00:09:41.000
that’s happiness to me. And that is that’s 00:09:41.000 –> 00:09:43.000
something we should always fire to. But again, 00:09:43.000 –> 00:09:46.000
over time, you know, bills things mount up 00:09:46.000 –> 00:09:47.000
and we and we just don’t we lose 00:09:47.000 –> 00:09:49.000
sight of that opportunity, lose sight of the 00:09:49.000 –> 00:09:50.000
choice. 00:09:50.000 –> 00:09:50.000
Yeah. 00:09:51.000 –> 00:09:53.000
Yeah. You’re right. And I think, dude, it 00:09:53.000 –> 00:09:55.000
made me think about even your health. You 00:09:55.000 –> 00:09:56.000
know, for me, I I can’t speak to 00:09:56.000 –> 00:09:58.000
you, but for me, man, it was 00:09:59.000 –> 00:10:01.000
I was going down a path where I’ve 00:10:01.000 –> 00:10:02.000
always been an anxious person. I I was 00:10:02.000 –> 00:10:05.000
a nervous child, you know, I always before 00:10:05.000 –> 00:10:07.000
games or any big event, man. I was 00:10:07.000 –> 00:10:08.000
nervous. I was always nervous. 00:10:09.000 –> 00:10:09.000
And 00:10:10.000 –> 00:10:12.000
and that just kept going. And then as 00:10:12.000 –> 00:10:13.000
my career you know, I I would kinda 00:10:13.000 –> 00:10:15.000
battle through those things, but then I hit 00:10:15.000 –> 00:10:17.000
a point to where, you know, and I 00:10:17.000 –> 00:10:18.000
was having, like, a panic attack. 00:10:19.000 –> 00:10:20.000
And, you know, I did all the I 00:10:20.000 –> 00:10:22.000
went a Mayo Clinic and did an executive 00:10:22.000 –> 00:10:24.000
physical. It’s been all this money and, you 00:10:24.000 –> 00:10:26.000
know, hey, dude. You’re fine. I did that. 00:10:26.000 –> 00:10:27.000
And then I had a a guy that 00:10:27.000 –> 00:10:29.000
I would consider a friend, and and, hopefully, 00:10:29.000 –> 00:10:31.000
he hears this and maybe I’ll send it 00:10:31.000 –> 00:10:32.000
to him and tell him, but he he 00:10:32.000 –> 00:10:34.000
gave me some words that a doctor I 00:10:34.000 –> 00:10:36.000
don’t think normally uses, and I won’t share 00:10:36.000 –> 00:10:38.000
the words exactly, but what he told me 00:10:38.000 –> 00:10:40.000
what I needed to do 00:10:40.000 –> 00:10:40.000
And, 00:10:41.000 –> 00:10:43.000
and I needed to hear it, man. And 00:10:43.000 –> 00:10:45.000
I was I was just having panic attacks. 00:10:45.000 –> 00:10:47.000
And then when I learned about panic and 00:10:47.000 –> 00:10:48.000
anxiety and stress, 00:10:49.000 –> 00:10:51.000
I learned that I wasn’t living up to 00:10:51.000 –> 00:10:53.000
my potential and I wasn’t following the dreams 00:10:53.000 –> 00:10:55.000
and the passions that I had. So it 00:10:55.000 –> 00:10:58.000
was manifesting in other ways. And man, isn’t 00:10:58.000 –> 00:11:01.000
it amazing now? Almost ten years later, 00:11:02.000 –> 00:11:03.000
how different I feel. 00:11:04.000 –> 00:11:05.000
Right? Yeah. I mean, it’s just it’s incredible 00:11:05.000 –> 00:11:06.000
to me. 00:11:06.000 –> 00:11:08.000
That’s beautiful though. It’s it’s, 00:11:09.000 –> 00:11:11.000
it it is incredible, but, 00:11:11.000 –> 00:11:14.000
yeah, sorry, man. We’re just having some stepping 00:11:14.000 –> 00:11:15.000
on each other. There’s a bit of a 00:11:15.000 –> 00:11:17.000
delay again. Know we can hopefully, we can 00:11:17.000 –> 00:11:19.000
edit that out. But Yeah. 00:11:19.000 –> 00:11:21.000
I I I think it’s it’s no no 00:11:21.000 –> 00:11:23.000
question about it. When I made the decision 00:11:23.000 –> 00:11:26.000
to step away and really invest in myself, 00:11:26.000 –> 00:11:28.000
both from an energy and time perspective, but 00:11:28.000 –> 00:11:30.000
also a a dollars and cents perspective, because 00:11:30.000 –> 00:11:32.000
as you know, starting a business isn’t isn’t 00:11:32.000 –> 00:11:33.000
cheap, certainly not free. 00:11:35.000 –> 00:11:37.000
I was probably at my most unhealthy, 00:11:37.000 –> 00:11:38.000
physically, 00:11:39.000 –> 00:11:39.000
psychologically. 00:11:40.000 –> 00:11:42.000
I had just been just kinda worn down 00:11:42.000 –> 00:11:44.000
over the years, but it’s worse than that. 00:11:44.000 –> 00:11:46.000
I I I’m not embarrassed to say, and 00:11:46.000 –> 00:11:48.000
I’ve learned from this. My career cost me 00:11:48.000 –> 00:11:49.000
a marriage. 00:11:50.000 –> 00:11:51.000
I was working 00:11:51.000 –> 00:11:55.000
so so much traveling every single week for 00:11:55.000 –> 00:11:58.000
years on end that, as I mentioned earlier, 00:11:58.000 –> 00:12:00.000
it became my identity and so much so 00:12:00.000 –> 00:12:02.000
that that identity was not 00:12:02.000 –> 00:12:03.000
the husband I wanted to be. It wasn’t 00:12:03.000 –> 00:12:05.000
the friend I wanted to be. 00:12:06.000 –> 00:12:07.000
So that was also a a hell of 00:12:07.000 –> 00:12:10.000
a wake up call for me, which look, 00:12:10.000 –> 00:12:12.000
man. I’m not proud of that, but it’s 00:12:12.000 –> 00:12:15.000
it also is an experience that has taught 00:12:15.000 –> 00:12:17.000
me And I’m a better person for it, 00:12:17.000 –> 00:12:18.000
like everything else, I think, in life, any 00:12:18.000 –> 00:12:20.000
challenge on the other side, and that is 00:12:20.000 –> 00:12:23.000
hopefully a better, a better, better outcome. 00:12:25.000 –> 00:12:26.000
So what what right now when you look 00:12:26.000 –> 00:12:28.000
at your career and the things and the 00:12:28.000 –> 00:12:29.000
people you’re hell helping, 00:12:30.000 –> 00:12:32.000
what’s your biggest challenge or or I’ve been 00:12:32.000 –> 00:12:34.000
I’ve been calling lately the heads Like, what’s 00:12:34.000 –> 00:12:36.000
the head scratcher for you that it’s like, 00:12:36.000 –> 00:12:38.000
gah, you just wish you could reach across 00:12:38.000 –> 00:12:40.000
the table and let somebody understand that. What 00:12:40.000 –> 00:12:41.000
is it for you? 00:12:42.000 –> 00:12:44.000
It it’s without question. It is getting people 00:12:44.000 –> 00:12:47.000
to understand and believe that 00:12:48.000 –> 00:12:50.000
when you make choice to lead differently, maybe 00:12:50.000 –> 00:12:52.000
be the leader you never had when you 00:12:52.000 –> 00:12:54.000
invest time and energy in others 00:12:54.000 –> 00:12:55.000
more so 00:12:55.000 –> 00:12:56.000
than yourself. 00:12:56.000 –> 00:12:58.000
When you care less about 00:12:59.000 –> 00:13:01.000
your own personal, quote, success, however, you define 00:13:01.000 –> 00:13:03.000
that, and you invest that energy into others 00:13:03.000 –> 00:13:06.000
growth development success, their achievements, 00:13:07.000 –> 00:13:09.000
you two things happen. Well, number of things, 00:13:09.000 –> 00:13:10.000
but two things primarily kinda 00:13:11.000 –> 00:13:13.000
resonate with me. One is the results on 00:13:13.000 –> 00:13:15.000
the macro level, they come. 00:13:16.000 –> 00:13:16.000
So 00:13:16.000 –> 00:13:17.000
That 00:13:20.000 –> 00:13:21.000
switch 00:13:24.000 –> 00:13:27.000
You you you you you are overtly making 00:13:27.000 –> 00:13:29.000
a switch that you’re no longer focused on 00:13:29.000 –> 00:13:31.000
your own goal, your own goals, your own 00:13:31.000 –> 00:13:32.000
growth, your own success, 00:13:33.000 –> 00:13:35.000
You don’t lose sight of those things, but 00:13:35.000 –> 00:13:37.000
you focus that on those that you’re responsible 00:13:37.000 –> 00:13:38.000
to lead. 00:13:38.000 –> 00:13:41.000
The two things are they perform better. Your 00:13:41.000 –> 00:13:43.000
your team the overall macro results that you 00:13:43.000 –> 00:13:45.000
deliver are better without question. 00:13:46.000 –> 00:13:48.000
Yep. But the bigger component is the satisfaction 00:13:48.000 –> 00:13:48.000
and fulfillment that 00:13:50.000 –> 00:13:51.000
comes 00:13:51.000 –> 00:13:52.000
is 00:13:52.000 –> 00:13:52.000
profoundly 00:13:53.000 –> 00:13:54.000
exponentially greater 00:13:55.000 –> 00:13:55.000
than 00:13:56.000 –> 00:13:57.000
keeping the focus 00:13:57.000 –> 00:13:58.000
on yourself. 00:14:00.000 –> 00:14:02.000
Yep. I cannot agree. And when I say 00:14:02.000 –> 00:14:03.000
this, 00:14:03.000 –> 00:14:04.000
it’s it 00:14:05.000 –> 00:14:07.000
there’s a lot of skepticism in the room, 00:14:07.000 –> 00:14:08.000
and I have to admit 00:14:08.000 –> 00:14:10.000
If someone were to have approached me and 00:14:10.000 –> 00:14:12.000
said the same thing, like, focus less on 00:14:12.000 –> 00:14:14.000
you and more on everyone around you, you’ll 00:14:14.000 –> 00:14:16.000
benefit in ways that you could never have 00:14:16.000 –> 00:14:17.000
predicted 00:14:17.000 –> 00:14:18.000
I would have said it’s bullshit. 00:14:19.000 –> 00:14:21.000
So that that’s it. That’s the head scratcher 00:14:21.000 –> 00:14:23.000
for me, but I just if people were 00:14:23.000 –> 00:14:26.000
to understand and realize the value that comes 00:14:26.000 –> 00:14:27.000
with deprioritizing 00:14:27.000 –> 00:14:30.000
your own quote unquote success for others. 00:14:30.000 –> 00:14:32.000
I think not only would the corporate world 00:14:32.000 –> 00:14:34.000
be in a much better place. I think 00:14:34.000 –> 00:14:35.000
the world 00:14:35.000 –> 00:14:36.000
would be a better place. 00:14:38.000 –> 00:14:39.000
So that’s the head scratch. I love the 00:14:39.000 –> 00:14:41.000
way you frame it. That’s the head scratcher 00:14:41.000 –> 00:14:42.000
for me. One of the things I look 00:14:42.000 –> 00:14:44.000
at when I’m talking to other leaders or 00:14:44.000 –> 00:14:46.000
I hear somebody in the room talking, if 00:14:46.000 –> 00:14:47.000
I’m, you know, listening at a conference or 00:14:47.000 –> 00:14:50.000
whatever, when I hear the word I, Right? 00:14:50.000 –> 00:14:52.000
One of my biggest pet peeves is when 00:14:52.000 –> 00:14:54.000
they say, I, I did this. I did 00:14:54.000 –> 00:14:57.000
that. Like, like, none of my success is 00:14:57.000 –> 00:14:59.000
because of I only. Right? It’s because of 00:14:59.000 –> 00:15:01.000
we and the people I’ve got around me. 00:15:01.000 –> 00:15:03.000
Like, I couldn’t do what I do without 00:15:03.000 –> 00:15:05.000
amazing people. So it’s just a pet peeve 00:15:05.000 –> 00:15:06.000
of mine, and I’m sure that’s a big 00:15:06.000 –> 00:15:08.000
pet peeve of yours as well. 00:15:10.000 –> 00:15:11.000
One of the biggest. 00:15:13.000 –> 00:15:14.000
And what a shame too because there is 00:15:14.000 –> 00:15:16.000
so much spotlight to be had 00:15:17.000 –> 00:15:19.000
in life in general, certainly in the corporate 00:15:19.000 –> 00:15:19.000
world. 00:15:20.000 –> 00:15:21.000
And the good by the way, the goodwill 00:15:21.000 –> 00:15:24.000
that we gain by sharing in that spotlight, 00:15:24.000 –> 00:15:26.000
you know, even when I’m accepting something 00:15:26.000 –> 00:15:28.000
you know, personal type, 00:15:28.000 –> 00:15:31.000
accolade or award. It’s like, when you throw 00:15:31.000 –> 00:15:32.000
a we out there and it couldn’t have 00:15:32.000 –> 00:15:34.000
done it without the team, the goodwill we 00:15:34.000 –> 00:15:34.000
create 00:15:35.000 –> 00:15:35.000
is, 00:15:36.000 –> 00:15:37.000
it’s priceless. 00:15:39.000 –> 00:15:42.000
And it’s true, man. Nothing. Very little is 00:15:42.000 –> 00:15:44.000
done. From an I or me perspective, 00:15:45.000 –> 00:15:46.000
which 00:15:46.000 –> 00:15:48.000
is where I moved on to. We, 00:15:49.000 –> 00:15:50.000
back in, I guess, it was around two 00:15:50.000 –> 00:15:52.000
thousand sixteen, and that was the pivotal or 00:15:52.000 –> 00:15:55.000
sentinel moment in my leadership journey that’s forever 00:15:55.000 –> 00:15:57.000
changed me as a leader, certainly, but as 00:15:57.000 –> 00:15:59.000
a person as well. It’s it’s changed my 00:15:59.000 –> 00:16:01.000
life. Yep. So talk about the ten Wes. 00:16:01.000 –> 00:16:03.000
This is from your book. Again, Wall Street 00:16:03.000 –> 00:16:06.000
Journal and USA Today best selling book, begin 00:16:06.000 –> 00:16:09.000
with we. The ten principles for building and 00:16:09.000 –> 00:16:11.000
sustaining a culture of excellence. Who doesn’t want 00:16:11.000 –> 00:16:12.000
that? 00:16:13.000 –> 00:16:15.000
And so let’s talk about those though. You 00:16:15.000 –> 00:16:17.000
talk about it, the framework, the ten ways 00:16:17.000 –> 00:16:20.000
required for building and sustaining a culture of 00:16:20.000 –> 00:16:20.000
excellence. 00:16:21.000 –> 00:16:24.000
Yeah. So I’ll take you back to Lawrence, 00:16:24.000 –> 00:16:25.000
Kansas. Of all places, 00:16:26.000 –> 00:16:27.000
I love Lawrence, but it was it served 00:16:27.000 –> 00:16:29.000
as a really pivotal moment for me. I 00:16:29.000 –> 00:16:31.000
was, in my hotel room, 00:16:32.000 –> 00:16:35.000
I just accepted the role of leading about 00:16:35.000 –> 00:16:35.000
fifteen thousand really dedicated men and women. That 00:16:35.000 –> 00:16:36.000
that 00:16:40.000 –> 00:16:44.000
that staff, probably the world’s largest health insurance 00:16:44.000 –> 00:16:46.000
enrollment and customer service operation. 00:16:49.000 –> 00:16:51.000
The company I was I was not naive. 00:16:51.000 –> 00:16:52.000
It was shared very early on that there 00:16:52.000 –> 00:16:56.000
was, an opportunity to to kinda reinvigorate, 00:16:57.000 –> 00:16:58.000
some energy 00:16:58.000 –> 00:17:01.000
maybe do some work on the company culture. 00:17:02.000 –> 00:17:02.000
And, 00:17:03.000 –> 00:17:06.000
but I knew also having spent the previous 00:17:06.000 –> 00:17:07.000
twenty years in 00:17:08.000 –> 00:17:11.000
massive organizations, as you mentioned, fortune ten firms, 00:17:11.000 –> 00:17:13.000
that if I were to show up, 00:17:14.000 –> 00:17:15.000
with this group, 00:17:16.000 –> 00:17:18.000
and kinda talked about I and the success 00:17:18.000 –> 00:17:20.000
I had had because I always, 00:17:21.000 –> 00:17:24.000
throughout my career, there’s a flavor of transformation. 00:17:25.000 –> 00:17:26.000
I come in, fix something, 00:17:26.000 –> 00:17:29.000
fix a big, big team, fix a big 00:17:29.000 –> 00:17:30.000
org, you know, turn things around, 00:17:31.000 –> 00:17:33.000
which has always been a passion of mine. 00:17:33.000 –> 00:17:35.000
But I knew with this group had I 00:17:35.000 –> 00:17:38.000
entered with more of the I and me 00:17:38.000 –> 00:17:39.000
and kind of, you know, here’s what I’m 00:17:40.000 –> 00:17:41.000
here to do for you. 00:17:42.000 –> 00:17:43.000
It would not have worked because they’d heard 00:17:43.000 –> 00:17:45.000
it all before. I was not naive. The 00:17:45.000 –> 00:17:46.000
fellow who had the role before me was 00:17:46.000 –> 00:17:49.000
dismissed, and I believe the wall for him 00:17:49.000 –> 00:17:50.000
was awesome. 00:17:51.000 –> 00:17:52.000
And 00:17:52.000 –> 00:17:54.000
if you take into consideration, 00:17:54.000 –> 00:17:56.000
the team my direct reports, 00:17:57.000 –> 00:17:58.000
they had an average tenure of north of 00:17:58.000 –> 00:17:59.000
ten years. 00:17:59.000 –> 00:18:01.000
So here’s this new guy coming into the 00:18:01.000 –> 00:18:03.000
fold. Yeah. And 00:18:03.000 –> 00:18:05.000
and and to to approach it as if 00:18:05.000 –> 00:18:07.000
I was the savior would just not have 00:18:07.000 –> 00:18:09.000
resonated. So the night before, I was to 00:18:09.000 –> 00:18:11.000
meet with the top forty or fifty leaders 00:18:11.000 –> 00:18:11.000
of this organization 00:18:12.000 –> 00:18:14.000
in my hotel room in Lawrence, Kansas. I 00:18:14.000 –> 00:18:16.000
still had that day’s suit on. In my 00:18:16.000 –> 00:18:18.000
laptop and my lap, and I thought, okay. 00:18:18.000 –> 00:18:20.000
This is this is what you wanted. You 00:18:20.000 –> 00:18:22.000
wanted an opportunity to lead an organization and 00:18:22.000 –> 00:18:23.000
be the leader you never had. This is 00:18:23.000 –> 00:18:25.000
why you made this change. What are you 00:18:25.000 –> 00:18:25.000
gonna do? 00:18:26.000 –> 00:18:30.000
So with no pre planning or or motives 00:18:30.000 –> 00:18:32.000
or agenda in mind, I just started typing 00:18:32.000 –> 00:18:34.000
into this blank PowerPoint presentation and a couple 00:18:34.000 –> 00:18:36.000
hours later, I All I had was ten 00:18:36.000 –> 00:18:36.000
sentences, 00:18:38.000 –> 00:18:39.000
and each of them started with the word 00:18:39.000 –> 00:18:40.000
we. 00:18:40.000 –> 00:18:41.000
And, 00:18:41.000 –> 00:18:43.000
I’m not super creative, so I had the 00:18:43.000 –> 00:18:44.000
ten wes. 00:18:45.000 –> 00:18:46.000
But the point, 00:18:46.000 –> 00:18:47.000
of of 00:18:48.000 –> 00:18:50.000
the magic, I think, started. So the next 00:18:50.000 –> 00:18:52.000
morning, I I stepped out, spoke to the 00:18:52.000 –> 00:18:54.000
forty or fifty folks and AF, we’re really 00:18:54.000 –> 00:18:55.000
excited and on board. 00:18:56.000 –> 00:18:58.000
Quarter. We’re kind of skeptical, and the last 00:18:58.000 –> 00:19:00.000
quarter was just, like, this guy’s full of 00:19:00.000 –> 00:19:02.000
his nature here. So much so, by the 00:19:02.000 –> 00:19:03.000
way, I should add Brett that 00:19:04.000 –> 00:19:06.000
what yeah. One of the fellas was bold 00:19:06.000 –> 00:19:08.000
enough to share that evening that, 00:19:09.000 –> 00:19:10.000
he googled the ten week because he thought 00:19:10.000 –> 00:19:12.000
I had plagiarized them, and then he went 00:19:12.000 –> 00:19:14.000
another step further and asked for my presentation 00:19:14.000 –> 00:19:16.000
because he wanted to check the properties within 00:19:16.000 –> 00:19:18.000
PowerPoint to see if I was the creator 00:19:18.000 –> 00:19:20.000
of that deck. Or if I had stolen 00:19:20.000 –> 00:19:21.000
it from somewhere else. 00:19:22.000 –> 00:19:25.000
We’re still buddies. But the the the the 00:19:25.000 –> 00:19:27.000
I think the the highlight or the bump 00:19:27.000 –> 00:19:29.000
sticker of this part of the story is 00:19:29.000 –> 00:19:29.000
this. 00:19:30.000 –> 00:19:32.000
In my career, I noticed 00:19:32.000 –> 00:19:34.000
it all came together that night in Lawrence 00:19:34.000 –> 00:19:35.000
that 00:19:35.000 –> 00:19:39.000
Companies were were really excited about flaunting their 00:19:39.000 –> 00:19:41.000
mission statement. They were really excited about externally 00:19:41.000 –> 00:19:42.000
positioning their company externally in a way 00:19:45.000 –> 00:19:47.000
that is, you know, flattering or favorable or 00:19:47.000 –> 00:19:49.000
endears them to their clients. 00:19:50.000 –> 00:19:52.000
But what is what is is setting that 00:19:52.000 –> 00:19:54.000
same standard inside the organization. 00:19:55.000 –> 00:19:58.000
So for me, to document these ten principles 00:19:57.000 –> 00:19:59.000
Gilliland 00:19:59.000 –> 00:20:01.000
be very adamant and direct that these are 00:20:01.000 –> 00:20:03.000
our rules of the role. Of the road, 00:20:03.000 –> 00:20:05.000
non negotiable. I did the whole presentation in 00:20:05.000 –> 00:20:07.000
black and white, and still nearly every time 00:20:07.000 –> 00:20:08.000
it’s in black and white with some red 00:20:08.000 –> 00:20:10.000
sprinkled in because it can’t be negotiable. 00:20:10.000 –> 00:20:14.000
But these principles align us around a common 00:20:14.000 –> 00:20:16.000
cause. And and and 00:20:16.000 –> 00:20:17.000
they’re all we oriented. 00:20:18.000 –> 00:20:21.000
But what they do is they create kind 00:20:21.000 –> 00:20:21.000
of, 00:20:22.000 –> 00:20:24.000
force fields too dramatic, but I’ll go with 00:20:24.000 –> 00:20:27.000
it that insulates us from 00:20:27.000 –> 00:20:30.000
external headwinds. It it sets the table for 00:20:30.000 –> 00:20:32.000
who we are, how we operate, and it 00:20:32.000 –> 00:20:35.000
removes any ambiguity around the way that we 00:20:35.000 –> 00:20:38.000
treat each other first and then how we 00:20:38.000 –> 00:20:41.000
treat those that we serve externally. Gilliland 00:20:41.000 –> 00:20:43.000
and they’re they’re very purposeful in order in 00:20:43.000 –> 00:20:45.000
which they are, 00:20:45.000 –> 00:20:46.000
riveting, 00:20:46.000 –> 00:20:47.000
But at the end of the day, this 00:20:47.000 –> 00:20:50.000
entire monologue that I’m sharing with you was 00:20:50.000 –> 00:20:51.000
my way to, 00:20:53.000 –> 00:20:54.000
first, 00:20:54.000 –> 00:20:56.000
these are the principal 00:20:57.000 –> 00:20:58.000
me accountable. 00:20:58.000 –> 00:21:00.000
I led with that. 00:21:00.000 –> 00:21:01.000
Because I’d seen the leadership, what I call 00:21:01.000 –> 00:21:03.000
the leadership gap too many times, where the 00:21:03.000 –> 00:21:05.000
boss has a certain standard of behavior, and 00:21:05.000 –> 00:21:06.000
the team has another one. And I think 00:21:06.000 –> 00:21:08.000
right out of the gate, you’re destined for 00:21:08.000 –> 00:21:10.000
failure. If there’s a double standard in how 00:21:10.000 –> 00:21:11.000
we treat each other, 00:21:12.000 –> 00:21:14.000
the things I’m allowed to do versus the 00:21:14.000 –> 00:21:15.000
things you’re allowed to do. So, a, you 00:21:15.000 –> 00:21:17.000
must hold me accountable to these because, b, 00:21:17.000 –> 00:21:19.000
I will certainly hold you accountable to them. 00:21:19.000 –> 00:21:21.000
If you can’t subscribe to these principles, 00:21:22.000 –> 00:21:22.000
respect, 00:21:22.000 –> 00:21:24.000
you’re not gonna be a great fit for 00:21:24.000 –> 00:21:25.000
this team. 00:21:26.000 –> 00:21:27.000
So that that was the that was kind 00:21:27.000 –> 00:21:29.000
of the the sentinel moment that I shared 00:21:29.000 –> 00:21:32.000
the principles I I I I was not 00:21:32.000 –> 00:21:34.000
forceful in implementing them. I wanted the team 00:21:34.000 –> 00:21:36.000
to take to them gradually, and I’m so 00:21:36.000 –> 00:21:38.000
thrilled to share five, six years later, 00:21:39.000 –> 00:21:42.000
the, the ten Wes are still the the 00:21:42.000 –> 00:21:46.000
cultural man this giant organization many years ago. 00:21:47.000 –> 00:21:49.000
They have the ten We Awards where they 00:21:49.000 –> 00:21:49.000
share, 00:21:50.000 –> 00:21:53.000
and celebrate those that are caught living any 00:21:53.000 –> 00:21:54.000
one of the We’s. 00:21:55.000 –> 00:21:57.000
And I’ve been able to evangelize these principles 00:21:57.000 –> 00:21:58.000
more broadly now in companies, 00:21:59.000 –> 00:22:01.000
that I’m working with have embraced it. People 00:22:01.000 –> 00:22:03.000
have embraced it because it sets the the 00:22:03.000 –> 00:22:05.000
standard for who we are, how we operate, 00:22:07.000 –> 00:22:09.000
aside from some lofty mission statement that no 00:22:09.000 –> 00:22:11.000
one can really relate to on a day 00:22:11.000 –> 00:22:13.000
to day basis. Yeah. I love that, man. 00:22:13.000 –> 00:22:14.000
So let’s start with number one. What’s number 00:22:14.000 –> 00:22:15.000
one? 00:22:16.000 –> 00:22:18.000
Well, so I must give a disclaimer as 00:22:18.000 –> 00:22:19.000
we walk through these. 00:22:20.000 –> 00:22:22.000
I’m I’m certain. Members of your audience are 00:22:22.000 –> 00:22:24.000
gonna say, well, no shit. Of course, of 00:22:24.000 –> 00:22:26.000
course, we’re gonna do these things. But I 00:22:26.000 –> 00:22:28.000
right? I’m not naive to that, but I 00:22:28.000 –> 00:22:30.000
will I will add to that 00:22:30.000 –> 00:22:31.000
this point. 00:22:33.000 –> 00:22:34.000
When used collectively 00:22:35.000 –> 00:22:35.000
and evangelized 00:22:36.000 –> 00:22:39.000
and and can spicuously communicated over and over 00:22:39.000 –> 00:22:41.000
and over every single day. You know, for 00:22:41.000 –> 00:22:43.000
example, I wear a I wear a wii 00:22:43.000 –> 00:22:45.000
bracelet everywhere I go. This as we challenge. 00:22:45.000 –> 00:22:46.000
It’s gotta 00:22:46.000 –> 00:22:47.000
it’s gotta be memorable. 00:22:48.000 –> 00:22:50.000
It’s gotta be something we can lean against. 00:22:50.000 –> 00:22:52.000
Not just works on the wall. Number one 00:22:52.000 –> 00:22:53.000
Yep. Is we do the right thing. 00:22:54.000 –> 00:22:55.000
Always. 00:22:56.000 –> 00:22:58.000
And and you’ll you’ll you’ll you know, again, 00:22:58.000 –> 00:23:00.000
listeners might say, well, no shit. The the 00:23:00.000 –> 00:23:03.000
beauty behind this one is Once you evangelize 00:23:03.000 –> 00:23:04.000
it and we talk about it over and 00:23:04.000 –> 00:23:05.000
over again, 00:23:05.000 –> 00:23:07.000
when facing a tough decision, 00:23:07.000 –> 00:23:09.000
the team knows 00:23:10.000 –> 00:23:12.000
where we’re going. They are quick to even 00:23:12.000 –> 00:23:14.000
answer the question before you ask it because 00:23:14.000 –> 00:23:16.000
and and by the way, they’ll premise their 00:23:16.000 –> 00:23:18.000
response with I know Kyle, we do the 00:23:18.000 –> 00:23:20.000
right thing. Right? So we it it it 00:23:20.000 –> 00:23:22.000
removes any opportunity for us to do something 00:23:22.000 –> 00:23:25.000
that might be a little less than, quote, 00:23:25.000 –> 00:23:26.000
unquote, right. So we do the right thing 00:23:26.000 –> 00:23:28.000
is is number one. Everything’s a thousand parts 00:23:28.000 –> 00:23:31.000
without it. Yeah. I think to piggyback on 00:23:31.000 –> 00:23:31.000
that is, 00:23:32.000 –> 00:23:34.000
you know, the Ritz Carlton way, right, is 00:23:35.000 –> 00:23:37.000
I think I heard one time that each 00:23:37.000 –> 00:23:39.000
each member that’s working that day has, like, 00:23:39.000 –> 00:23:41.000
a two hundred or four hundred dollar budget 00:23:41.000 –> 00:23:42.000
or something like that that they can fix 00:23:42.000 –> 00:23:44.000
something. Without having to get approval. And I 00:23:44.000 –> 00:23:46.000
remember being there. One of my kids, I 00:23:46.000 –> 00:23:48.000
guess my oldest is eighteen. I was young. 00:23:49.000 –> 00:23:50.000
And we’re there and we get an ice 00:23:50.000 –> 00:23:52.000
cream cone, and we’re not six steps away 00:23:52.000 –> 00:23:54.000
from this place where we got the ice 00:23:54.000 –> 00:23:55.000
cream in there and it spills, of course. 00:23:55.000 –> 00:23:57.000
It goes all over the floor. And man, 00:23:57.000 –> 00:24:00.000
those people were like around that thing. 00:24:00.000 –> 00:24:03.000
So quick. Got it cleaned up. Boom. Here’s 00:24:03.000 –> 00:24:03.000
a new ice cream. 00:24:04.000 –> 00:24:06.000
Right? I mean, like, it was amazing. And 00:24:06.000 –> 00:24:08.000
so I think that’s what I think of 00:24:08.000 –> 00:24:09.000
when I hear that we do the right 00:24:09.000 –> 00:24:11.000
thing always. Right? We do the right thing 00:24:11.000 –> 00:24:13.000
always. That’s that’s number one. That’s awesome. 00:24:15.000 –> 00:24:17.000
Yeah. It’s the foundation. It’s the foundation. But 00:24:17.000 –> 00:24:18.000
if you wanna do the right thing and 00:24:18.000 –> 00:24:19.000
you want your team to do the right 00:24:19.000 –> 00:24:22.000
thing. For me, that takes us right to 00:24:22.000 –> 00:24:24.000
number two, and that is we lead by 00:24:24.000 –> 00:24:24.000
example. 00:24:25.000 –> 00:24:28.000
We’re already setting an example. The question to 00:24:28.000 –> 00:24:30.000
the question is not should we lead by 00:24:30.000 –> 00:24:32.000
example. The question is am I leading by 00:24:32.000 –> 00:24:34.000
an example? I’d be proud for others to 00:24:34.000 –> 00:24:36.000
see. If it were blast all over the 00:24:36.000 –> 00:24:39.000
intranet, the company intranet, or the newsletter, or 00:24:39.000 –> 00:24:40.000
even worse externally, 00:24:41.000 –> 00:24:43.000
is my behavior something that I’m proud of? 00:24:43.000 –> 00:24:45.000
Is it am I leading in a way 00:24:45.000 –> 00:24:46.000
that others want to follow? 00:24:47.000 –> 00:24:49.000
And again, you know, I I would imagine 00:24:49.000 –> 00:24:51.000
some listeners are saying, well, she wanna lead 00:24:51.000 –> 00:24:52.000
by example, but it’s not the big things 00:24:52.000 –> 00:24:54.000
that I’m talking about. When I walk through 00:24:54.000 –> 00:24:56.000
the hallway, you know, when I’m on-site or 00:24:56.000 –> 00:24:59.000
at a location, is my head down in 00:24:59.000 –> 00:24:59.000
my phone? 00:25:00.000 –> 00:25:01.000
Or am I is my head up saying, 00:25:01.000 –> 00:25:03.000
hey, Brett. Good morning. Nice to see you. 00:25:04.000 –> 00:25:06.000
You know, that’s that’s an example that must 00:25:06.000 –> 00:25:07.000
be set. Right? I’ll tell you a quick 00:25:07.000 –> 00:25:08.000
story, and I’ll and then we can move 00:25:08.000 –> 00:25:09.000
on. But, 00:25:09.000 –> 00:25:11.000
I I used to visit one of the 00:25:11.000 –> 00:25:11.000
locations, 00:25:12.000 –> 00:25:14.000
back in the the teens when, 00:25:15.000 –> 00:25:17.000
I’d I’d eleven locations at the time when 00:25:17.000 –> 00:25:19.000
these principals rolled out. One of the locations 00:25:19.000 –> 00:25:22.000
invariably, every time I would go, the men’s 00:25:22.000 –> 00:25:24.000
restroom, the counter where you wash your hands, 00:25:24.000 –> 00:25:26.000
had standing water every single time I went 00:25:26.000 –> 00:25:28.000
there. It was drive you crazy. 00:25:29.000 –> 00:25:30.000
And I just, you know, I’d like every 00:25:30.000 –> 00:25:32.000
other fellow in there, wash my hands, throw 00:25:32.000 –> 00:25:33.000
my paper towel away and walk out. But 00:25:33.000 –> 00:25:35.000
it occurred to me. 00:25:35.000 –> 00:25:37.000
I am sending the message anytime I’m in 00:25:37.000 –> 00:25:39.000
there washing my hands next to somebody else, 00:25:39.000 –> 00:25:40.000
it finally occurred to me that I am 00:25:40.000 –> 00:25:43.000
sending the message that it’s okay. We are 00:25:43.000 –> 00:25:45.000
accepting this puddled water. 00:25:45.000 –> 00:25:47.000
And I and and the leader doesn’t care 00:25:47.000 –> 00:25:49.000
about our work environment. That’s the message I’m 00:25:49.000 –> 00:25:51.000
sending if I don’t. So now 00:25:52.000 –> 00:25:54.000
when the re realization hit me, and I 00:25:54.000 –> 00:25:55.000
was in 00:25:55.000 –> 00:25:57.000
My hands dry off. I would take extra 00:25:57.000 –> 00:26:00.000
napkins and wipe down that basin every single 00:26:00.000 –> 00:26:02.000
time. And wouldn’t you know it? After a 00:26:02.000 –> 00:26:03.000
number of visits there, 00:26:04.000 –> 00:26:05.000
the water was gone. 00:26:05.000 –> 00:26:07.000
Not because of me, people were coming behind 00:26:07.000 –> 00:26:09.000
me doing the same thing. Yep. So it’s 00:26:09.000 –> 00:26:11.000
not just, you know, the shiniest shoes. I 00:26:11.000 –> 00:26:13.000
got the most vocabulary, not leading by example 00:26:13.000 –> 00:26:15.000
in those ways. I’m leading by example by 00:26:15.000 –> 00:26:18.000
being relatable to those I work with, setting 00:26:18.000 –> 00:26:20.000
an example that they want to follow, and 00:26:20.000 –> 00:26:23.000
and and showing the importance of our interactions, 00:26:24.000 –> 00:26:26.000
not just you are here to to produce 00:26:26.000 –> 00:26:28.000
a widget for me. So that’s the kind 00:26:28.000 –> 00:26:30.000
of example I wanna be known for. Yeah. 00:26:30.000 –> 00:26:32.000
Amen into that, man. I think Mother Teresa 00:26:32.000 –> 00:26:33.000
said it, and then I’ll joke my buddy 00:26:33.000 –> 00:26:35.000
Tom Meyer at a soccer game recently said 00:26:35.000 –> 00:26:38.000
it too. Sweeper own front porch. Right? So 00:26:38.000 –> 00:26:40.000
see my buddies that were on this trip 00:26:40.000 –> 00:26:41.000
will know and it was a it was 00:26:41.000 –> 00:26:43.000
a great time. But, you know, sweep your 00:26:43.000 –> 00:26:45.000
own front porch. Man, that’s that’s what you’re 00:26:45.000 –> 00:26:47.000
doing right there. So that’s awesome. 00:26:47.000 –> 00:26:48.000
What’s number three? 00:26:49.000 –> 00:26:51.000
So we go so if you wanna do 00:26:51.000 –> 00:26:51.000
the right thing, 00:26:52.000 –> 00:26:54.000
and and if we agree that leading by 00:26:54.000 –> 00:26:56.000
example, it’s tough to do that, 00:26:57.000 –> 00:26:59.000
any team, we’ve gotta make good in our 00:26:59.000 –> 00:27:01.000
commitments. So we number three is we say 00:27:01.000 –> 00:27:02.000
what we’re going to do 00:27:03.000 –> 00:27:04.000
then we do it. 00:27:04.000 –> 00:27:06.000
So anytime you’re in a team environment, there 00:27:06.000 –> 00:27:08.000
are others that are counting on you to 00:27:08.000 –> 00:27:11.000
deliver something, especially in corporate America. 00:27:11.000 –> 00:27:13.000
And what I have found, a lot of 00:27:13.000 –> 00:27:16.000
breakdown and disappointment that our customers experience 00:27:16.000 –> 00:27:17.000
oftentimes 00:27:17.000 –> 00:27:19.000
are the result of a breakdown or a 00:27:19.000 –> 00:27:22.000
lack of communication or delivery behind the curtain 00:27:22.000 –> 00:27:23.000
here in the here on the on the 00:27:23.000 –> 00:27:26.000
team. So we we’ve just gotta be known, 00:27:26.000 –> 00:27:28.000
you know, every high functioning team needs to 00:27:28.000 –> 00:27:31.000
be known for and is usually associated with 00:27:31.000 –> 00:27:33.000
do, you know, making good in our commitments. 00:27:33.000 –> 00:27:34.000
When I tell you I’m going to deliver 00:27:34.000 –> 00:27:36.000
something to you as a member of my 00:27:36.000 –> 00:27:38.000
team, it’s coming. When you tell me that 00:27:38.000 –> 00:27:39.000
you’re gonna deliver something to me as a 00:27:39.000 –> 00:27:41.000
member of my team, it must come. 00:27:42.000 –> 00:27:44.000
And and that was, you know, the scenario 00:27:44.000 –> 00:27:44.000
there 00:27:45.000 –> 00:27:46.000
to drive me crazy. 00:27:46.000 –> 00:27:47.000
It’s, 00:27:47.000 –> 00:27:49.000
you know, Brett, you and I had a 00:27:49.000 –> 00:27:51.000
conversation. I agreed to deliver something to you 00:27:51.000 –> 00:27:53.000
by Thursday at noon. 00:27:53.000 –> 00:27:55.000
Thursday at noon rolls around. You call me. 00:27:55.000 –> 00:27:57.000
You’re, like, Kyle, what’s up? Where’s that report? 00:27:57.000 –> 00:27:59.000
And my response to you as well, I 00:27:59.000 –> 00:28:00.000
reached out to Jane in accounting. I just 00:28:00.000 –> 00:28:02.000
haven’t heard back from her. That’s not good 00:28:02.000 –> 00:28:03.000
enough. 00:28:03.000 –> 00:28:05.000
So I committed something to you, brother. I 00:28:05.000 –> 00:28:07.000
gotta get that to you, and I will 00:28:07.000 –> 00:28:08.000
go to the end of the earth to 00:28:08.000 –> 00:28:10.000
get that for you. Or I will give 00:28:10.000 –> 00:28:11.000
you a heads up before Thursday at noon 00:28:11.000 –> 00:28:13.000
that this is not happening, we’re a bit 00:28:13.000 –> 00:28:15.000
delayed. But I have found, especially in bigger 00:28:15.000 –> 00:28:17.000
organizations, there’s this, you know, 00:28:17.000 –> 00:28:19.000
point back and forth because I, you know, 00:28:19.000 –> 00:28:20.000
I I did my part. I made the 00:28:20.000 –> 00:28:22.000
request. No. No. No. Your part was hitting 00:28:22.000 –> 00:28:23.000
your commitment. 00:28:24.000 –> 00:28:26.000
So leading by example, I think the best 00:28:26.000 –> 00:28:28.000
way to do that is by setting 00:28:28.000 –> 00:28:29.000
a target, 00:28:29.000 –> 00:28:31.000
going after that target, making good on our 00:28:31.000 –> 00:28:32.000
commitments, 00:28:32.000 –> 00:28:34.000
because we’re only as good as the commitments 00:28:34.000 –> 00:28:36.000
we keep. I that’s that’s truly how I 00:28:36.000 –> 00:28:38.000
believe that. That’s why number three is is 00:28:38.000 –> 00:28:41.000
where it’s ranked so high because if we 00:28:41.000 –> 00:28:42.000
can’t deliver on on the commitments that we 00:28:42.000 –> 00:28:45.000
make, especially as the leader to our team, 00:28:46.000 –> 00:28:48.000
There’s no and we’re not trust. We are 00:28:48.000 –> 00:28:49.000
no tall. 00:28:49.000 –> 00:28:51.000
Love it. So far I’m gonna lie. I’m 00:28:51.000 –> 00:28:53.000
three for three, brother. What do we got? 00:28:53.000 –> 00:28:53.000
Number four? 00:28:55.000 –> 00:28:57.000
I love that. Alright. I’ll keep rolling. So 00:28:57.000 –> 00:28:59.000
if we’re gonna do the right thing, we’re 00:28:59.000 –> 00:29:02.000
gonna lead by example, and we’re gonna make 00:29:02.000 –> 00:29:04.000
good in our commitments. That means the very 00:29:04.000 –> 00:29:05.000
next step is we gotta take action. 00:29:06.000 –> 00:29:08.000
So when we see an opportunity to be 00:29:08.000 –> 00:29:11.000
better, when we see maybe a broken process 00:29:11.000 –> 00:29:14.000
or You know, we have a disgruntled customer 00:29:14.000 –> 00:29:15.000
because of a process that we we we 00:29:15.000 –> 00:29:18.000
just know is is too too taxing or 00:29:18.000 –> 00:29:21.000
whatever the scenario is, we gotta take action. 00:29:23.000 –> 00:29:25.000
Especially i