Season 6 - Episode 4 - Joe Byerly

Speaker A: Foreign. Welcome to your podcast, Leadership Is Tricky, where we'll tackle various topics, challenges, and experiences as it relates to your investment in leadership. So let's design success together. Now your hosts. Hey, everyone. Eric Ocasio here with Leadership Is Tricky. And we are back, uh, with season six. So we have another interesting, uh, episode for you, and I have Joe Byerly. How you doing, Joe?

Speaker B: Good, Eric. Thanks for having me, man. Congratulations on your success.

Speaker A: No, I appreciate it. Uh, hey, now you're a part of it. So I'm excited that you, uh, decided to come on and hang out with me and allowing me to capture your story. So, uh, yeah, so let's just jump right into it. Um, so, you know, let's talk a little bit about you and, uh, you know, let the audience know, uh, about yourself and, you know, and who young Joe was and where you're from and, you know, how you grew up and then we'll go from there.

Speaker B: Yeah. So grew up in Savannah, Georgia. It was the oldest of, uh, four kids, all sisters. Dad, uh, was electrician. Uh, mom stayed at home with us quite a bit. And then she would bounce between working at the hospital as a nurse and, and sometimes even being our school nurse. Um, and, uh, yeah, I just, uh, I was into to reading as a kid. I was a couch potato. Not really active at all. That came. That came way later. Um, and, uh, yeah, I was into reading. I was actually into writing when I was a kid. I remember, um, we had a typewriter and I would bang out these comic book hero stories, um, when I was in third, fourth and fifth grade, three pages all the time. It was fun for me. And then once I got into middle school, high school, and discovered dating and girls and started chasing the popularity thing, um, the writing and even the reading started taking a backseat to social. And then as we all kind of build a Persona of who we want Eric to be or who we want Joe to be. And uh, yeah, I was doing all that and then didn't discover reading and writing again for almost two decades. Um, but my grandfather was, uh. So. So my parents weren't in the military, but my grandfather was a veteran of World War II, was on the island hopping campaign as a Marine grunt, uh, in, you know, fought in Iwo Jima. And then my uncle was in the Marine Corps, was a, um, uh, C130 pilot. And so I just, you know, and then my other grandfather was a Navy. I'm, um, sorry, Air Force mechanic. And so I just like, you know, for my family, uh, service to the nation was Viewed as something very respectable. And yeah, I just. I didn't know what I wanted to do, um, when I graduated high school. And, uh, I remember I got a brochure for the University of North Georgia, which is one of the senior military colleges. Got it in the mail, threw it in the trash can. Um, and, uh, my mom went and got it out, um, because, like, you know, I think some of the schools that I was thinking about were way out of my league and ended up going there, falling in love, uh, with the corps of cadets in the army, and then really, like, the rest is history.

Speaker A: Yeah. So, um, going back to. Because you talked about service, you said your mom was, ah, was a school, uh, nurse as well. So how was that, you know, having your. Your mom around?

Speaker B: Uh, it was. It was cool until, uh. I don't. Like. Like in middle school, the school nurse was one of the people that taught sex education.

Speaker A: Oh.

Speaker B: Uh, so that was. That was not cool at all. But no, my parents are great, man, so it was awesome, um, having her around. And I wasn't. I wasn't a bad kid, so it wasn't. Wasn't a thing at all.

Speaker A: Yeah. Cool. Um, all right, so. No, because I think there's gonna be a reoccurring theme there. That's the reason I brought up service. And then, you know, you mentioned writing and reading a lot. And, um, and I think your shirt actually says read on it. Um, but so. So you. You were in the. In the army. So let's talk about those early days when you were in the army. You know, what was that like for you, uh, going through the service college. And then who were some of those early inspirational figures in your life?

Speaker B: Yeah, I got really lucky, man. So, like, right before I graduated, um, the, uh, hrc, um, Human Resources Command, um, my branch manager gave me a call. It was like, hey, we're testing out this program, and if you take this, uh, undesirable assignment for your first assignment, uh, we'll send you to any school we want to and we'll give you duty location of choice after that. Um, and it was only six hours away from college. It was at Fort Knox, Kentucky. And I was like, yeah, sure, that sounds awesome. Um, and then once I got to Fort Knox, Kentucky, it was a new branch manager, uh, who didn't know anything about the deal of, uh, any school of choice and, uh, duty assignment of choice. Um, but I went to this assignment, and my very first company commander, guy named Lewis Netherland, was, uh, a platoon leader under, at the time, Lieutenant Colonel H.R. mcMaster. And so McMaster, you know, who would go on to be, um, you know, uh, fought in the battle of 73 Easting as a. As a company commander, would go on to be the national Security advisor for the President. I mean, just an amazing guy. But, uh, as a squadron commander, he taught them the importance of writing for the profession and the importance of reading and the importance of physical fitness. And so I had this platoon leader who is now a company commander for me, constantly nailing those principles into me very early on. And so I knew that, you know, to be, uh, somebody who was invested in the profession of arms, um, I needed to do those things. And it took a while for those things to take root. Cause I was like 23, 24. Um, so I was still having parties on the weekends. And you know, like the only, you know, I was doing the work stuff, uh, during the duty week. But I wasn't really investing in myself outside. And that. That came a lot later with, uh, a little bit more maturity and some more examples under my belt.

Speaker A: Yeah, I think that's everybody's story. Right. Especially in our 20s, you know, we don't really understand the lessons that are being placed at our feet. Right. And all that feedback we get, we take it as. We don't take it as the gift that it is. Right. Um, but, you know, comes with maturity, we, we get there. Um. Yeah. So, I mean, you did over 20 years. So, you know, that's the first part of your time, um, in the military. But, you know, as you. You've gone on to other assignments. Right. Because you have key developmental positions in the military. Uh, what was that time like for you as a company commander, battalion commander, ish time, if, you know, if that's the route that you went, you know.

Speaker B: Yeah. So company command was, you know, like, I remember those lessons at Lewis, Netherlands, um, ingrained in me. And so I wanted to pass that on as a company commander. So I remember even being deployed and still taking time out of our schedule, doing patrols and all that, um, to talk about reading, to talk about writing with my. With my platoon leaders. And at the time, like, I knew reading was important. I was reading, you know, maybe four to five professional books a year. And then a story that you've heard that I've talked about before. Um, read about this, this race to the Pole, um, to Antarctica. Ah, to the South Pol in 1911. And, you know, to boil it down, you had one team led by a guy who only relied on his, uh, his experiences and was really focused on Promotion. And then you had another guy who had read everything he could get his hands on about polar exploration to add and compliment to his experiences. And I remember reading that and seeing that like, hey, this is going to be really important for me and my career. That along with the examples of, you know, those leaders that I had come across who were AV readers, um, I immediately upped my game, Eric. And I went from reading four to five books a year to like 45 to 50 books a year, uh, shortly after command. And what I found was like, as I was going into those positions of increased authority, increased responsibility, increased stress and pressures, and just, you know, the demands of the job, um, all of a sudden I was able to not only rely on those experiences and the people I saw in those different assignments, but I was also able to rely on the stuff that I'd read about in books. So I was able to bring techniques and tactics and different ideas and perspectives to each of my jobs. And I found that over time that gave me a competitive advantage as a leader. And then going into battalion command was, uh, just amazing. It was a huge responsibility, um, and it was something I didn't take lightly. And I used that two years in command, it's kind of like my leadership laboratory for, to test, you know, all the ideas I developed along the way. And it was just a very rewarding assignment. It was, it was like a walk off home run, uh, for me in the United States Army. It was amazing. And then retired, uh, right out of command, which I do not recommend people, uh, do because that's, retirement's a whole thing in itself. But I thought I could do it because I still got some of that young 20 year old, uh, uh, I know what the hell I'm doing, Eric, like still any man. And so, uh, yeah, so I, I retired in, uh, August of 24 and immediately went back to the beginning all over again of, of writing. And I, I, I get paid to be a full time writer now and absolutely love it.

Speaker A: Yeah, it's cool because, uh, one of the things that you, you mentioned was, you know, drawing back on your experiences, right. Which a lot of feedback we get from the podcast, and that's the reason I do it, is that people can see themselves in those experiences. And so you live that, right? You read all of these stories and books and you drew from those leadership challenges that existed before you. Because there's nothing that can happen right now that we haven't seen before or someone has seen before or captured in some type of journal. Um, somehow I just, uh, had an interview with, um, Mark, um, Hertling, General Mark Hertling. And uh, he talked about capturing his stories when he was in uh, Iraq the first time. And he uh, didn't know if he was going to make it home, so he started journaling, um, and he captured these stories and he just published a book, um, about his, you know, kind of his memoirs. But these were stories to his sons who are, we're also in command in combat. Right. And now they're drawing from those experiences. That's what just took me back to what he was talking about is, you know, capturing those stories in that moment and then being able to reflect back on it. So, um, interesting enough, you know, for you, um, you were able to draw on those experiences even as crazy as a polar exploration. Right. But you know, you took the text and tips and techniques that came from that, um, and were able to apply it. So, uh, can you just look back on your time in the military and what was like one of those significant leadership challenges that you had to work through and then what'd you learn from it?

Speaker B: Well, I'll start, I'll start with a failure. You know, like I remember, um, my very first command, like, you know, property accountability is a really big deal for a company commander. And because of the early experiences I had and the leaders I worked for, I didn't, I didn't necessarily have a good background going into command. So I made a lot of mistakes with property accountability. So much so um, that like, as I, like I remember me leaving Iraq, uh, as a company commander was dependent on a, um, document getting signed releasing me of culpability of a very high valued missing item. And so, um, thankfully I was chosen for a second command uh, because I guess they saw potential in me. And I had about two months off between command. And so instead of wasting that time be like, oh man, I'm so tired, whatever. I was like, I'm going to figure out what the hell I did wrong and I'm never going to make that mistake again. And not only am I not going to make that mistake again, I'm going to learn these lessons so well that I teach everybody, um, that you know, all like my subordinate leaders. And so I read every regulation I could get my hands on, um, around property accountability. I asked questions, um, and I even like wrote like, I wrote stuff out like verbatim that was in the regulations just so I could like, you know, understand it even better. And, and then instead of like, you know, being one of those like crazy commanders who treat everybody poorly when it Comes to property and stuff like that, I use it as an opportunity to educate. So every hand receipt holder I had after that, I would give personally give them a class on property accountability and explain the different types of responsibility and make sure they understood what they were getting into before they ever inventoried an item or signed an item. And then as I went into command, I tried to again continue to teach people. And then I had empathy, um, for folks that were making the same mistakes I did. And, you know, it was a little bit more forgiving, um, than I think I would have. So I think, like, that's a. That's a great example. And you mentioned general hurtling and journaling. That's another thing, Eric, that I wish I would have done way sooner in my career. January 21, or. Sorry, January 1, 2021 was the first time I started journaling, and I've done it every day since then. Um, and that has been a huge, uh, tool that I have. I have leaned on for personal growth and, uh, you know, just being able to capture things that are happening, and you can kind of look back, what was I doing on this day, three, four years ago, and, uh, and learn something from it, as well as, like, you know, those challenges that you have in life, you know, those. Those, uh, those key moments that are, like, very developmental for you. And you're like, man, how the hell am I gonna. And developmental is code for, like, this sucks. Um, you know, like, how am I gonna get to the other side of this? Uh, you can go back and look and see what you were thinking when you were in the trenches. And then as you're going through stuff now, be like, man, I've made it through this stuff before. I'll do it again. Um, so, yeah, journaling is something I wish I would have started doing way younger in my military career.

Speaker A: Yeah. One thing I would say, so I've tried journaling is just. I'm not very consistent. Right. There's certain things that I'm extremely consistent about. So I tried it, um, and I probably lasted about four months, right? And then it just fell off the rails. But, um, I did resort to now when I'm in a leadership challenge is I have a red book that I walk around with at work, and I will capture that moment, or if I hear something, um, you know, some kind of, ah, phrase or some type of explanation of something, I will write it in my book. So then I go back and reflect on those things. Um, I found that to be more palatable, um, I guess, you know, with my with my mentality and my lack, uh, of discipline. Right. Um, and then, then just sit and journaling, you know, sitting journaling. But I know a lot of folks that do do journaling and they love it, you know, and they're able to go back and, you know, see their lives and in their words as they're writing their chapters of their life. Um, and, uh, no, that's, that's really cool. So, so let me ask you. So, um, because you had, you had various jobs, you know, everything from, you know, 2nd Cav and you know, 4 Squadron. And um, and then you ended up as an advisor to the commanders, you know, some commanders within the 82nd Airborne Division, you know, which is one of my bosses now, you know, here at uc. Yeah, um, and, uh, yeah, and I got. Missed you when you were out here. But, um, so, so talk about that, you know, being an advisor to a commander and you know, at that level, seeing what they're dealing with and then how do you advise them and what'd you take from that experience?

Speaker B: Yeah, so I, I had the fortune or misfortune, depending on how you want to look at it. Uh, I ended up working for three senior leaders within a four year period. Um, almost like back to, back to back. Um, I worked for the commander of jsoc, I worked for the commander of Resolute Support Mission Afghanistan. And then I worked for, for General Donahue, uh, when he was in the 82nd, and then as he transitioned over to 18th Airborne Corps. And like, people would ask me like, well, what do I, you know, like, like what's a, what have you learned from the job? And I think there's like three things and, and then I'll answer your question is one is like, be there whenever they need you, get out of their way when they don't. And if you don't have anything to do, just make sure you're echoing their message to the rest of the staff. Because there's a lot of friction on high level staffs and they're always trying to interpret what the boss is thinking, what the boss is saying. And so if you can be that, that whisperer that's going around and talking to the different, uh, directors or department heads and echoing what the boss is trying to do and make sure that their intent is being captured, then you can make them so much money. Um, but yeah, I feel like each of us has a gift, right? Like, you know, some people may be excellent organizers as far as calendars, some people may be extremely responsible and, you know, like, they never forget A name or a face or something like that. Um, you know, mine was writing. That's the thing that pulled me into these jobs was my ability to write very quickly, synthesize thoughts and then help them even go back and forth. And you know, guys like General Miller, General Donahue and General Howe, like everything that they ever wrote was, what's their words? Um, it was just a back and forth between the two of us kind of, uh, you know, massaging, massaging things out. Or, you know, sometimes a leader may just need to see a draft of something to realize that's not what they want and it helps them zero in on what they do want. Um, so yeah, that was a lot of my, my jobs. It was writing emails, writing, um, speeches, writing things for hire, uh, you know, up to higher. And then as I did those, you know, more and more, uh, my network expanded. So, you know, you could call people, um, who in other locations and kind of find out what was going on and feed that information, um, back to your boss. And so it was, it was really rewarding, um, to be able to use your gift to help somebody else out. But then for me, being able to watch things from General, like being able to watch the behaviors of General Donahue, General Howe and General Miller and then take those into command with me, uh, like I was a completely different leader because of it. Um, and so I think like just the benefit, it's like getting a PhD in leadership, uh, being able to watch people up close and be in those front offices, uh, was just, was a really rewarding, um, thing. They ended up paying dividends, um, for my squadron because there was a little bit of each of those gentlemen that I took with me into command.

Speaker A: Yeah, it's crazy when you're exposed to high levels of leadership, especially good leaders. I mean, um, I mean, you do draw some from some of those that have some, um, developmental areas in their leadership abilities. Right. You do draw, you know, some experiences from that. But I mean, when you're around great, uh, minds, um, I mean, you pay, it does pay dividends. And I think you hit it right on the head. I mean, you can draw so much from them and then you can use that if you would like to invest in that activity and push that back into the, you know, your formations or back into your workforce or your organization, um, and it fills some of your blind spots as well. Right. Um, especially when you're making stressful, high level decisions. You've probably seen it before or how they've like, operated in that, that high intense moment. So and for those that don't know what JSOC means as Joint Special Operations Command, um, you know, these are the folks that are doing some of the complex work within the army. Um, and, uh, yeah, so, all right, so from the Green notebook, right? Um, and this is how we met. Um, you were given a talk to a lot of, uh, junior leaders on, um, really the power of actually reading. Um, and I think that's. It's starting to become a lost art. Um, and because everything's now in, you know, bite sized increments, everyone's looking at Instagrams and they're trying to microwave, uh, everything. But, um, let's talk about one, your affinity for reading. And then why from the Green Notebook, which is your platform that was launched in 2013 timeframe. Um, so let's talk about where you got that affinity for reading, why you think reading is so important, and then why from the green notebook.

Speaker B: Real quick, Eric, before I answer all those things, I want to go back. You talked about carrying a notebook around, and I was looking. I would carry these 3 by 5 moleskin notebooks with me. I keep them in my back pocket. And so, um, like, I was just trying to like, flip through real quick and find where they're at because I have a stack of them here. But you know, like, when the things about, like some of those leaders that, like, you know, guys like General Donahue and General Miller, amazing communicators, um, and they're always saying things that are very sticky. And so I remember, um, you know, I would write down things that, you know, they were saying. Um, and so I could constantly go back and reflect on them. Like, like, matter of fact, I'm looking at it right now. Um, and so like, uh, yeah, like, so like this is like the 16th of March, 2020. Um, you know, we're in Afghanistan. Covid's happening. The government of Afghanistan is literally like, like splintering. Um, the Taliban. You know, we just signed the deal with the Taliban. So all these things are like, like Covid is very disruptive. And I remember disruptive events cause you to figure out what is essential, um, and get, you know, get back to that. So, like, I wrote that down and I did the same thing with. How I did the same thing with Miller, um, you know, throughout, I mean, Donahue. So I think, like, having something on you at all times to take notes, uh, whether it's like the things that you do with your red book, uh, the challenges you're facing every day, or, you know, you're working for an amazing Leader. And last thing on that, too, is the bad leaders as well. Like, we. I had several of those. And those gentlemen were as equally important to how I led as those great leaders, um, because I knew exactly what I didn't want to do or who I didn't want to be when it came time for me to be in charge. And, uh, so on that. I bet if you were to look back on your professional career, Eric, and think through how many of horrible, terrible people that you work for where you just didn't want to get up and go to work, and you were like, man, like, I could work at a, uh, at a food truck right now, and I would probably be so, you know, like. Like things like that are, like, going through your head. Um, I bet it's only on a hand, maybe, um, you know, the years that you've put in. And on mine, I can count three to four amazing leaders that I worked for, um, that were just, like, up here. And I can also count maybe three or four just horrible, horrible individuals that I worked for. But, like, that's not a lot, you know? And so I think if you look at the books behind me, they're full of, like, some of the most amazing leaders, uh, throughout history, as well as some really bad people, too. And so you can sit down and read and pull the lessons like we were talking about from the polar expedition. Um, you can read and learn from those. And so, you know, I have, like, stacks of these notebooks all over, um, almost to the point where I probably look like a crazy person. Um, but they're just filled with quotes and passages and stories, um, of all these people. And it's really important, too, to, like, write that stuff down. Um, there's a guy who is a peer of Machiavelli, and he had something called the Recording where he would do the exact same thing. The thing that you're talking about, like, he would keep this book and write down things that were important. He says something in there about, you know, like, just by going back and constantly reviewing the recording, he's like, at least. He's like, it's really hard to be the person I want to be. But at least the stuff is, like, right on the tip of my tongue because I'm constantly looking at it. Um, and that. And that's at least giving me a little bit of help. And I messed the quote up. But it's something along those lines. And so for me, reading, not just reading, but then taking those things and putting them into notebooks and then constantly looking at Them, uh, really just helped shape who I wanted to become. So, um, I think I answered your question on reading because I talked a whole bunch and added some stuff to it. Um, but, yeah, Green Notebook. You know, it's the government issued green notebook. Um, I started the blog in 2014 as a. I'm sorry, 2013 is just a personal blog. Um, and I was so scared to put my name on it that I wrote under a pseudonym, um, for like the first, like six months. And I was publishing like once a week. But then I got. My ego got hurt because I was watching these people praise this anonymous author and I wasn't, I wasn't getting it out of it.

Speaker A: Like, that's me.

Speaker B: Yeah, they're like, shut up. No, it's not. Um, but I didn't want. Because I was a combat arms officer and at the time, like, it was frowned upon, um, to be a writer, you know, because it was like, it was considered intellectual. And, uh, you know, people were proud of being anti intellectual. Um, at least that's, that was a perception that I had. And so, uh, I started the blog and I was posting on it and then I would have friends write me or, you know, I'd be hanging out and they'd be like, hey man, I have this idea. If I write it, will you publish it? I was like, sure. And then I started getting emails from people I didn't even know, uh, with submissions for the blog, and then had to ask people to help out. And so Green, uh, Notebook has now been going for 13 years. And, uh, it's been amazing. We've had a team of volunteers, uh, rotating through, you know, over the last like eight, nine years, just keeping the blog going because I definitely couldn't do it on my own. And, uh, and then we expanded into the podcast and several newsletters. So it's just been, it's been like. It's like my baby. It's like a teenager now. Um, which is, which is amazing. And, uh, and it's been cool to like, help and influence so many people. I think we're up to like 4 or 5 million views on the website. And it's just, it's awesome. You get emails all the time from different generations of folks who've been influenced, you know, not by my writing, but by the writing of, of people who've submitted to Think things on the website. So it's been, it's been awesome, man. And it's, it really helped set me up for what I'm doing now.

Speaker A: Yeah, it's funny though, just to watch you through this. And for those that are watching, just go back maybe like, five, six minutes ago when we're talking about the military, and then we transition to the, the, the work that you're doing now. And you light up when you talk about what your passion and what you feel like your purpose is. And, uh, I know that feeling. Right. Yours might be a teenager. Mine's still in diaper, maybe out of diapers now. Right. But, um, yeah, I mean, doing these podcasts or doing the writing and doing the speaking engagements, I mean, I don't know about you, but I draw a lot of energy from those moments that I get to sit down and do things like this because I get to share this with the rest of the world. Um, but, um, you know, I saw you light up, so I know that feeling. Very cool.

Speaker B: Yeah, thanks, Eric. I'm really glad you pointed that out, too, because, like, you know, and it's, it's interesting. It's like, um, you know, people, whether it's reading, whether it's, you know, whatever, physical activity, whatever, like, um, you know, people like, I don't have time for that. Um, I'm too busy. And Seth, uh, Godin, who's one of my favorite authors, he says, uh, you don't need more time. You simply need to decide. And what I found was that, you know, as I was in these, like, crazy challenging jobs, and every job I took from major on, people would tell me, hey, you know, you're gonna have to shut the blog down. Like, there's no way that you can do that job and do this at the same time. And what I found was, like, I would make time, like, if I had to get up an hour earlier, um, to do this than I would. And so, you know, I, I, I love, I love the army, man, and I love the people in it, but there's a lot of stuff that you have to do that's not fun at all, uh, in order to have those, like, little bits of, like, chocolate chip moments throughout the day where you're like, man, that filled me up. And, uh, and with this, it's like, I've been out since, you know, 2024, and I still feel like I'm on leave, which is crazy to me. Um, because, like, I'm putting in a ton of work. I've got a lot of projects going on right now. And, uh, yeah, it just, it doesn't, it doesn't feel like work at all. And that's when I know that, like, okay, I'm on, I'm on the path I'm supposed to be on.

Speaker A: Yeah. One of the sayings that I say a lot is you have to live your purpose. You'll always live someone else's purpose. Right. And then once you find that, that thing that you're passionate about, I mean, your cup stays full. Right. Even when, you know, I feel like it's, it's, it's draining, you know, coming, you know, sitting in traffic, getting here. Um, but, yeah, I mean, this is, this is, this is what we were meant to do, and it's pretty cool. So, um. All right, so there's a, there's one thing I did want to ask you about. Right. It's called the leader's 90 day notebook. Um, right. It's, it's a tool that you've, you've put together, you've published. Can you tell me a little bit about it?

Speaker B: Yeah. So, okay, so earlier you were talking about, well, I've journaled, and then I've, like, fallen off after four months. And I remember when I got started, it's like, well, what do I, what do I journal about? Like, nothing happened. You know, like, at first it's like, what am I, what am I even writing about? And, um, and I, like, I struggled with that at first. And then over time, I started like, like thinking about the things that, that I really wanted to focus on. And so I kind of, I developed a format for myself. Um, and the way it looks is like, you know, obviously the date, but, like, what, how much sleep did I get last night? Um, um, so I'm like, I'm always tracking my sleep because it's, it's like, super important to me. And then it's like, um, you know, what did I do to work out today? You know, what was my workout for the day? Because even, even in retirement, like, I'm almost in better shape now than I was when I was on active duty. Um, and then I, I have headings that I put in my own journal. I write them out, and it's like, um, you know, it's just a summary of the day. It's what decisions did I make today? And I think this is a really neat one. I, I, I read about it in a, um, Harvard Business Review book where the guy was like, how do you know if you make good decisions? You know? And so he would write decisions down, and then he would write what he thinks going to result from that decision. And then he would go back in his notebooks and look at them. Six months, you know, um, removed from them to See if it was a good decision or not. And so I like writing down the decisions I made for that day and kind of go back and look and I can say, like, oh, man, I didn't get sleep and I made some really bad decisions. Um, I talk about things that I'm like. I write about what I'm struggling with. Um, you know, just so I can, like, really capture that. Uh, I'll write down, like, something I learned today. You know, that that was new really forces me to learn. I'll write down what I accomplished. That's another important thing. And I'm sure you're the same way. Eric is like, you do a lot, but then you don't give yourself credit for any of it.

Speaker A: Right?

Speaker B: Um. Um. And so for me, like, just writing down, like, hey, you know, today I did the Leadership is Tricky podcast. I went and dropped off dry cleaning. I got the oil changed. I finally, you know, finished that book. Whatever. Um, it's just a way to, like, capture that stuff. And then, um, gratitude. And, you know, there's tons of studies that show that when you start journaling about things you're grateful for, you actually, it starts changing your. Your frame of reference. You actually start looking at things that you're grateful for. And then finally, um, the last thing I journal about is, like, a key insight I had from that day about myself. And what's really cool is, like, the leaders 90 day notebook. Those prompts are set up that way, so all you have to do is open the book, just go through and fill those things out. And I think if you can do something for 90 days, that's not a huge cognitive load. Like, you're not sitting there like, man, what do I need to write about today? You get in the habit of writing that. It makes journaling a habit for you to where, you know, you're getting rid of that notebook, and then you've got your own journal that you're setting up yourself, which is what, you know, what I do now. And so, uh, m. And it's neat, too. Like, when I journal, just kind of like writing out things, like what? You know, whatever. Um, just kind of meandering along the page. What I find is that it's kind of like, it's interesting to go back and look. Um, but when you have that format, it's really cool because you can quickly say, like, boom, this is what I was struggling with at this time. Like, oh, man, I got that insight back then. Um, or, you know, hey, like, oh, man, like, I'm, you know, not happy with this person. But like a year ago I was talking about how great they were here and so, you know, maybe what happened. So anyways, I just, I think that format has helped me. So I wanted to create something to get other people into journaling. And it's cool. Like, you know, we don't do a lot of marketing for it.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: We just have it on the website. Um, as far as like, you know, I'll occasionally mention it, um, but like we've sold like a thousand copies of it which is cool because people are giving it as gifts, um, and getting them out. And then we have the other one, the migraine notebook, Know thyself before changing jobs, um, that I developed with Cassie Crosby. And that's another one. Like it's a 30 day guided reflection. This one has particular things like looking at communication, looking at assertiveness, looking at different skills and attributes you need as you climb an organization. And you can go back and there's two questions for each of those skills or attributes. And every single day, um, and you spend 30 days and you go through and you have a book that captures, you know, how you do something or you know, where areas of growth and then you can kind of take those and collect those along an entire career. And that one does really well. That's like a huge um, like Christmas time PCs gift a lot of people give.

Speaker A: Yeah, I think that's very um, timely book too. Especially with everything that's happening right now with the job market and, and all of that and folks that are looking at career transitions and uncertainty. I think that book will help too. Um, as they're kind of navigating that space, um, from one career to the next. Um, so one, where can folks get these books? What's the website?

Speaker B: Uh, yeah, so I mean just go to Amazon, um, and you can just type in Joe Byerly. You can type in My Green Notebook or type in leaders 90 day notebook. And it's on there. And I'm in the process of uh, revamping some stuff on our website, uh, towards a lot more easier to find. But um, yeah, you can do it there. And then we have the two newsletters that we put out every month is the monthly reading list email, which is three to five books that I'm reading that I recommend and I talk about every, every email has a plug for my Green Notebook and the leaders 90 day notebook. Um, and I've been doing that email since 2017, uh, which is another great forcing mechanism to read every month. Eric. And then I have the Sunday Email, which is a weekly email. And that one's just a weekly reflection on like, usually it's something I'm wrestling with for the week, uh, but I'll pull in stories and quotes from all sorts of places, um, for that particular email. And I also talk about the, the journals in that one as well.

Speaker A: All right. And for those that didn't catch it, I'll drop the links, uh, below so that way you guys can get to the Amazon, uh, for both the books. Um, so, uh, yeah, so just as, as we're coming up on time here, um, what I do with everyone that comes on here, um, is I ask, you know, the final question is like, if there's someone listening right now, um, some young adult, some leader in transition, um, you know, maybe some senior leader out there looking for some inspiration, you know, what's the one thing you would leave them with? Um, from a leadership perspective?

Speaker B: Yeah, I would just, I would say that like, um, to remain curious, um, you know, there's so much out there to discover. And not just like curious about the world outside, but the world inside too. You know, like, if you would have asked me 15, 16 years ago that I would ever see myself retiring out of the military and becoming a full time writer, I'd have been like, eric, what are you talking about, man? Like, I don't write. I was like, I barely read. All right, Um, I don't, I don't see that how that's going to happen. So, um, I think, yeah, just remain curious about yourself and remain curious about the world around you. Because I guarantee you, whatever problem, leadership problem or personal problem you're facing, somebody, whether, you know, somebody in modern times or somebody in the ancient world, has dealt with the same exact problem and they've written about it, and you can learn from them and do better than they did, um, just by taking the time to read about it.

Speaker A: All right, so do you have like a top 10, uh, books list?

Speaker B: Oh, man, yeah. That's a tough one too. One. It's funny, man. Like, one of the things I've been working on now for like eight months is 20 books in 20 years.

Speaker A: Okay.

Speaker B: Ah, it's a page I'm working on, my website of just different books, um, that have influenced me. So, uh, I'll just like. Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday is one of my favorites. Uh, just because I think in the military a lot of us have egos. Um, and so it's just a great way to remind yourself of my doing this because I want to. Or am I Doing this because it feeds my ego. Uh, another one is Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield. It's like the ultimate, uh, leadership book. Talks about the Spartans defending Thermopylae. I, uh, read that before my first deployment and completely changed, um, you know, how I went into it with, you know, looking at combat for the first time. Um, there's brief by Joe McCormick, which is all about how to write concise, uh, and effective emails as well as give brief, like PowerPoint briefings and stuff like that. Um, there's a Minute to Think by Juliet Funt, which is all about carving time throughout the, the duty day or just in our lives in general to just take a step back and reflect and think a little bit. I thought that book was absolutely amazing. There's one I just finished called Mind over grind.

Speaker A: Okay.

Speaker B: By Dr. Guy Winch, which is all about dealing with stress throughout the work week, from the Sunday scaries to waking up at 2:00am ruminating, um, about something that happened earlier today or the thing that's going to happen tomorrow. Um, yeah, there's. There's like so many books, man, that uh, that like. And I think that's the thing is like, different books had different, um, you know, effects on me throughout my career. And so it was. It's been really hard to go back and like capture all of them. Um, because like, a book may have been really important to me as a, as a captain or a young major, but then as a lieutenant colonel it wasn't important. But this book over here was, was super critical to my, to my success. So, uh, yeah, so I'm still working on that. I try to do a little bit each, uh, each week. Um, been, uh, procrastinating a little bit. But, uh, those. I guess those are some, some ones to get you started.

Speaker A: Yeah. So after our encounter, uh, this summer, I actually went and downloaded Gates of Fire. So I've.

Speaker B: Oh yeah, you got Excellent too.

Speaker A: Yeah. And one of the ones that I really found to be one of my favorites is Creativity Inc. Uh, yes, right. So the Rise of Pixar. And if you haven't read that book, and uh, Gates, uh, of Fire, I would really recommend you start with those two if you're struggling with. And if you don't like reading, you want a audiobook, uh, then go ahead and get the audiobook, but at least get started because, um, I mean, my books here is full. Right. Um, I read all the time. Um, I've got even, uh, uh, policies and regulations on my phone here and I'm constantly curious to Your point? Um, earlier on, what's Out There. But you got me started with those two, uh, this summer. And I was like, let me check out what he's talking about. And, um, really, really transformational books. And you get into the mindset of those that, um, we probably watched in a movie, but now you're reading the words and hearing their stories.

Speaker B: I'm, ah, glad you said that. Eric Creativity, uh, Inc. Was one of those books. I saw he's on all these different reading lists. Not in the military, but in the corporate world. And I was like, I don't know what I could actually gain from that. But I read it right before going into command. And that is another one of those books that come. That really shaped how I led. And, um, you know, like, it made me think about things a lot differently, um, than I would have if I didn't read that book. And so I was actually trying to find my copy. It's somewhere down here below me. Um, but it is, like, marked up and tabbed and I found myself referencing that a lot in Command. So, I mean, again, it's just crazy to think that, you know, I was leading with lessons from Disney, Pixar, um, you know, leading, you know, 500 combat, uh, soldiers in Europe. And so I'm glad you, I'm glad you had that book on there. Have you read. I see you had Inner Excellence on there too. Have you read that one?

Speaker A: I've gotten probably, uh, about 20% through it. Um, because I'm the type of person, I can't focus on one book all of the time. So then I jump around, um, you know, from, you know, chapters to chapters. But, um, I'll get through it. But it's been, it's been pretty good. I even, um, downloaded a book by David, um, goggins Can't Hurt Me.

Speaker B: Yeah. What do you think about that?

Speaker A: He's crazy. But the discipline and the mindset is insane. And you want to strive for that. I think, me personally, I think he's a little too extreme for me, but I can see how it works for him. Right. Um, um, but he, he's really, he is really a, a tough cat, you know, and his mentality is, I'm not going to fail. I'm going to burst through these, these barriers that we set for ourselves. And, um, yeah, it's, it's, it's been helpful. Um, you know, just, just going back to it and then now all of a sudden, he's on my Instagram all the time.

Speaker B: So, um, and the algorithm, the algorithm's listening. It's always watching us.

Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. All right, so, uh, Joe, I want to thank you first for, for taking the time to, to share your thoughts and your, Your story with us. Um, and for those that are repeat listeners of the podcast, thank you for coming on and sharing time and listening in. Uh, please check out from the Green Notebook. Um, it's all on all your major podcast platforms. Go check out the website. You know, get registered on the newsletter, click the links below, um, because we'll have access, uh, to his books. Um, and, you know, to help you get journaling, I think I'm going to go try the 90 day, uh, journaling thing, uh, tool. And, and I'll check back me on day 120. Um, right. And, uh, motivate me. Uh, but no, Joe, really, thank you for your time. Thank you for what you've done for our country, what you continue to do for, for curious minds out there and promoting the act of reading. Because I don't think enough people do it right. So get off of Instagram like me. Um, pick up a book. Um, you know, get lost in those worlds that are out there in those stories and, and lose yourself in those experiences that are out there. So, um, any parting shots?

Speaker B: Yeah, man. I think finally, and this is something I'm doing now in retirement, is you and I were just sitting here talking about. I mean, Gates of Fire is fiction, but we're talking about nonfiction books. But, yeah, read fiction, too. Uh, I'm going back and slowly rereading classics, so. Darkness, um, at noon, all the King's Men, Great Gatsby. Um, I've got the annotated edition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein coming today. Um, so, yeah, just dive back into those two. There's some great life lessons in those books, um, that are encoded in the form of stories. So that's my. That's my parting shot, Eric.

Speaker A: Awesome. All right, so you heard it from Joe. Uh, thanks, everyone, and, uh, we'll see you on the next episode.