The Ultimate Guide to Mentorship with Scott Jeffrey Miller

1 - > Welcome to Work from Your Happy Place, the podcast that equips you with the 2 - > knowledge and inspiration to live your dreams and find your own happy plays. You 3 - > will be encouraged by and learn from entrepreneurs and artists who are already working from 4 - > their happy plays, all while pursuing their passion with a purpose. Be sure 5 - > to sign up for our free weekly newsletter for our recap of the week's guests 6 - > and a preview of what's in store. We also have two special gifts for 7 - > you, a video, the five core Principles to living a half Yer Life, 8 - > and a printable download title Top ten sales Strategies.

Go to Work from 9 - > Your Happy Place dot com, forward slash free. Fill out the attached form 10 - > to receive your gifts and be added to our newsletter. And now here's your 11 - > host, Belinda Ellsworth. Hello everyone, I am here with Scott Jeffrey Miller 12 - > today and we're so excited to have him on the show.

Scott is a 13 - > highly sought after speaker, author, and podcast host. He is a Wall 14 - > Street Journal best selling author and currently serves as Franklin Coby's senior advisor on Thought 15 - > Leadership. Prior to his advisor Roll, Scott was a twenty five year Franklin 16 - > Covey Associate, serving as the Chief Marketing Officer and executive vice president. It 17 - > is my pleasure to welcome Scott to our show today, Belinda, Thank you, 18 - > thank you for the platform and the spotlight.

Delighted to be here today, 19 - > Yes, absolutely, So I just have to ask, because I just 20 - > think it's so curious before we dive into learning more about you, but tell 21 - > us about your background. What's all the fun graffiti or whatever that you have 22 - > going on there behind you. Well, I'm joining you today from the set 23 - > of what is now the world's largest weekly leadership podcast that I host called All 24 - > Leadership with Scott Miller. And so I'll do my camera.

This is the 25 - > set where I, like you, host a podcast each week week and had 26 - > the privilege to interview remarkable business titans and best selling authors and thought leaders around 27 - > the world. So I happen to be in the podcast hosting, hosting, 28 - > and so today I'm going to be a guest in the podcast. So you 29 - > see behind me several thousand books of different thought leaders that I've interviewed over the 30 - > course of our five year podcast. Oh that is so fantastic.

Well, 31 - > it looks just took books and nailed them to the wall. Oh my gosh, 32 - > it looks fantastic. That's nice of you, Thank you. Yeah, 33 - > it's It's funny how the smallest things can end up making for great decoration, 34 - > right, yeah, definitely.

In fact, I did not nail them to 35 - > the wall. Someone else did, But it was a vision that I have 36 - > because we feature so many authors, and I actually think book covers tend to 37 - > be a bit of an art form and an expression of the author's personality and 38 - > their topics. So I like to, like you, I like to shine 39 - > our spotlight on other guests as well. Okay, perfect, Well let's do 40 - > I call you jeff Jeffrey what you like to be called?

Theirs name is 41 - > Scott. You can call me Scott. Oh, I am so sorry. 42 - > You know what everyone calls me Jeffrey.

I don't know why. It's not 43 - > a problem, Scott Jeffrey Miller. You can call me Blenda anything you want 44 - > to. I don't, okay, Scott fly, today's my birthday.

I'm 45 - > fifty five. I'm way beyond caring what people call me. There you go, 46 - > Well, my brother is Jeffrey, and so then when I read your 47 - > full name, it just stuck right there. I was like, Okay, 48 - > so Scott, let's dipe in and let's talk a little bit about your journey 49 - > and your entrepreneurial journey, and then let's talk about what you are doing today 50 - > to serve others.

Sure, so, my entrepreneurial journey is quite short. 51 - > I spent a thirty year career with the Walt Disney Company, and then the 52 - > Franklin Covey Company was with Walt Disney World for four years, and then they 53 - > invited me to leave. You can read my books about that process. But 54 - > Stephen Covey, of course, the seminal author of the book The Seven Happits 55 - > of Highly Affected People, hired me twenty eight years ago and I moved from 56 - > Orlando, Florida, to Salt Lake City, where the now Franklin Covey Company 57 - > is headquartered, the world's most trusted leadership development firm.

Spent twenty five years 58 - > in that company, moving from the front line to the c suite, where 59 - > for a decade I was the chief marketing officer and the executive vice president of 60 - > Thought Leadership. Retired from the firm three years ago in good standing, and 61 - > now I'm an ambassador to that firm. I host two podcasts for them, 62 - > and then when I retired three years ago, that's when I became an entrepreneur. 63 - > My day job is I'm a talent agent.

I owned a thriving talent 64 - > agency as a literary speaking and talent agent called Gray Miller, and I'm also 65 - > an author and speaker. I've authored seven books, as you mentioned in the 66 - > opening, and now I speak for a living and keynote around the world, 67 - > do a bunch of different things in that realm. And here today to talk 68 - > about anything I've learned that can help your listenership and viewership build a better career. 69 - > Okay, perfect, Well, let's dive in.

Let's talk about your 70 - > level of expertise. Since you talk about leadership principles, let's talk about what 71 - > advice you can give to others in the area of leadership. No, we 72 - > have six hours for that, right, because that's about need for that, 73 - > So gosh, it depends on where you want to go, right, I'd 74 - > say, first, not everybody should be a leader of people. I think 75 - > the leadership industry perpetuates a disservice on many of us, which is that the 76 - > ultimate pinnacle of everyone's career to be a leader.

I just don't believe. 77 - > I fundamentally do not agree that everyone should be a commercial airline pilot. Not 78 - > everyone should be an anesthesiologist, and not everybody should be a leader of people. 79 - > I think people should be very thoughtful about whether or not whether or not 80 - > that's the right career journey for them, because in most organizations, how you 81 - > become a people leader is the only way to get promoted, the only way 82 - > to earn more money, the only way to have more influence.

What happens 83 - > in too many organizations is that they pluck their top end of the dial, 84 - > contributors, they're top producers, and make them the sales leader when they were 85 - > the top sales person, or that director of the digital division when they were 86 - > the top digital designer. There is no correlation and you being an excellent individual 87 - > contributor you being a leader of people. So the first thing I would say 88 - > is be very thoughtful about whether or not that is the right career path for 89 - > you.

I've seen countless extraordinarily competent individual contributors implode when they were promoted to 90 - > be the leader of the rest of the team because it wasn't the right rule 91 - > for them. Now, if and when you are going to become the leader 92 - > of people, you have to realize that you must have a massive mindset shift, 93 - > paradigm shift. No longer is it your job to rush in and save 94 - > the day, to achieve all the results based on how you would do it. 95 - > But you have to now realize as a leader, your job is to 96 - > achieve results within through other people.

I'm going to repeat that as a leader. 97 - > Yeah, your job is to achieve results and through others. So that 98 - > means your job has to coach. Your job has to be building capability.

99 - > You have to slow down to be more patient. Otherwise you'll end up being 100 - > the martyr and the victim, doing all the work yourselves and wondering why everybody 101 - > else is out taking their PTO W and you're not because you didn't build capabilities 102 - > in others. And that isn't the right calling for everybody. It requires you 103 - > to be more patient, be a better listener, recognize there's more ways to 104 - > achieve results than just the way you would do it.

MA could go on 105 - > for hours around leadership advice, but those are two important caveats. I think 106 - > everybody should be thoughtful and mindful of So here's a question for you. Then, 107 - > as I'm listening to you, because I think you're absolutely spot on. 108 - > But you said a key point, and that is generally to move up the 109 - > ladder, to get a pay raise, to get a promotion of any kind, 110 - > it is to move from what you were doing so successfully.

Of course, 111 - > you got recognized into being a manager or being a leader, and you're 112 - > right, not everyone's cut out for that. And I have seen people implode 113 - > in that position again and again to the degree where they're not good at it 114 - > and now they're unhappy, and now they're not the star or that they were 115 - > before, and they don't even enjoy their job anymore. And so what can 116 - > companies do to recognize this themselves? In the yeah, in this process, 117 - > delight?

Did you set up that question? This is my advice. Now, 118 - > I'm not a chief human resource officer or the ev of talent, but 119 - > I've sold a couple hundred million dollars worth of solutions to those consumers, so 120 - > I know a bit about this, and this is my vintage point. I 121 - > think it's incumbent on every company to make sure that they don't lure people into 122 - > leadership roles sit people down.

Belinda, you've been crushing it as a salesperson 123 - > for thirteen quarters. I mean, you're extraordinary knowing our solutions the client needs, 124 - > asking the right questions, taking your sales goal really carefully, and we 125 - > are so appreciate you in that role. Blinda. We have a sales leadership 126 - > role coming up in the next couple of weeks or months, and we wondered 127 - > if you might want to enter into a conversation to determine would this be the 128 - > right progression in your career.

So, Blinda, let's tell you a couple 129 - > of things about it. Let's draw a teach art. Blinda. On the 130 - > left side, here are that eight or ten things you do extraordinarily well that 131 - > have gotten you success in your current role.

Bam, bam, bam, 132 - > bam, bam, bam and bam and Blinda, I think it's important you 133 - > know that four or five of these eight things that you do better than anyone 134 - > as an individual contributor, they're actually not going to serve you well in a 135 - > leadership position. You're going to have to indeed stop doing them. That might 136 - > feel counterintuitive, but the things that got you here quote aren't going to take 137 - > you or keep you there. And conversely, on the right side of the 138 - > teacher, Belinda, here are six or seven competencies that you're going to need 139 - > to learn that you don't possess right now, that's okay, none of us 140 - > did.

But these are skills that you're gonna have to accelerate to and assimilate 141 - > to extraordinarily fast. And you have to determine whether or not you want to 142 - > leave behind all these competencies and build all these new competencies because in many ways, 143 - > it's fundamentally building a new set of skills. And Belinda, for decade 144 - > now, you've been the star of the show. Right You've been on stage 145 - > at the President's Club and the Chairman's Award and Malia all the awards and top 146 - > of the scoreboard.

And that isn't gonna be the case anymore. You're not 147 - > gonna see your name anywhere. You won't be on stage. You're gonna have 148 - > to determine whether or not you truly take delight in the success of those around 149 - > you, because that's now how you're going to define success.

It's everybody else 150 - > winning within your stewardship, so to speak, and not everyone can rise to 151 - > that level. And by the way, if you don't, that doesn't make 152 - > you anything other than an amazing salesperson. And we need you in that role 153 - > still. But Belinda, what we don't want you to do is take this 154 - > leadership job on naively and then realize, oh, you don't like to interview 155 - > and terminate, you don't enjoy coaching, you don't like having high courage conversations 156 - > about people in the blind spots they have in their behavior and their innerpersonal skills, 157 - > and then you decide this is the wrong role for you, because rarely 158 - > does someone choose to step back down.

They usually choose to step out, 159 - > and we don't want to lose you. So that roleplay was simply to say, 160 - > that's what companies should do to have a really courageous conversation around is this 161 - > the right role for you? And what kind of coaching will you need along 162 - > the way? And do you even want it?

Wow? I think that's 163 - > and that was so articulate in exactly what people need to be looking at, 164 - > because as they go into leadership, they often don't realize the things they're leaving 165 - > behind, and they are things that they loved and they miss now and the 166 - > ways in which they were validated and the ways in which they felt valued and 167 - > they felt like a contributing person. I mean, you know, I don't 168 - > know about you, but I don't know many people that wake up and all 169 - > of a sudden are able to eloquently give people both courageous and diplomatic feedback on 170 - > their bekator.

That's an art, and some people want to avoid that at 171 - > all costs. As a leader, that's what you're doing most of the day, 172 - > is you're coaching and mentoring and giving feedback on, redirecting feedback and reinforcing 173 - > feedback. And for some people that's invigorating. For most people, it's exhausting 174 - > and depleting.

Right. I remember for myself and you hit it, it's 175 - > like I was a top salesperson for years and then I suddenly was in a 176 - > leadership role and now I'm leading a sales team. And I remember that very 177 - > first convention of not being on stage, not getting any awards, and it 178 - > was hard, Like that was a hard It was almost like, Okay, 179 - > this isn't this isn't what you're doing anymore. But at the end of the 180 - > night, when I had like I don't know four of my team end up 181 - > taking some of the top awards, it was extremely rewarding.

But that is 182 - > a it's a difficult transition that no one really often explains that you're going to 183 - > go through it is a difficult transition. And let me reiterate something. I 184 - > don't think there's anything wrong with not wanting to make that journey. I think 185 - > high producing salespeople, if they want to earn more money, it's one of 186 - > two ways sell more.

Move to a new company with a new commission plan, 187 - > or maybe three take on the sales leader position. And in many cases 188 - > you won't earn more money. You'll have people around you that are out earning 189 - > you, and that requires you to exercise some humility you may not naturally have. 190 - > And I would say to salespeople, really understand what your professional values are.

191 - > Because if you love the limelight and you love the competition, you love 192 - > the leader board and the scoreboard and all the awards, don't move into leadership. 193 - > Stay there. That's great. Every company needs salespeople who want to lead 194 - > the leader board.

Every company needs people like that. So be really thoughtful 195 - > around is this the right transition. You might need to go to a new 196 - > company where it has a better commission plan or has you know, a bigger 197 - > territory or higher margin products or something like that. Don't be ever embarrassed that 198 - > you want to be in the spotlight and out earn other people.

Every company 199 - > needs those you might even call somewhat self serving salespeople. There's nothing wrong with 200 - > that. That's awesome. So everybody's got their own set of superpowers and their 201 - > skill sets.

So what have you identified as yours? Crickets and dumbleweeds on 202 - > this one? My superpower, I'm really great at taking nothing and turning it 203 - > into something. At taking an idea for a book and then spending three thousand 204 - > hours writing it and getting it published and on the shelf at Barnes and Noble.

205 - > I'm good at taking an idea for a certification program or a webinar or 206 - > a podcast and not just talking about it in three days, having a set 207 - > built and cameras and editing and getting it done. So I'm I promise big 208 - > and I deliver bigger. I'm an executor. Now, sometimes I'm that guy 209 - > that's the you know, fire aim versus aim fire ready, fire aim right, 210 - > And so my impulsivity, my bias to action is sometimes weakness.

Like 211 - > all of our strengths have overplayed, they can become our weaknesses. So I'd 212 - > say my superpower is not just having a creative mind, but actually building stuff 213 - > and launching it and shipping it. Secondly, I think I have a vracious 214 - > appetite for new ideas, new concepts. I'm a racious reader.

I like 215 - > to improve things. I'm not a very linear thinker. I'm not very good 216 - > at managing all the steps in between. I tend to, you know, 217 - > sometimes run rough shot over people because I like to get things done.

I 218 - > think it was I think it was General Schwarz Cough that said, if you're 219 - > not pissing people off, you aren't getting things done, and the spirit of 220 - > that I like. I don't think I think it can things done and not 221 - > piss everybody off. But I'm a bit of a bulldozer. I won't bulldoze 222 - > over you, but you probably ought to get out of the way because the 223 - > bulldozer is coming.

So I'll honk the horn and I'll i'll blink the lights, 224 - > but the bulldozers not stopping, so step out of the way, right 225 - > exactly. Yeah, I totally get that. I've done hundreds of podcasts and 226 - > no one's ever asked me that question before, so really, oh wow. 227 - > I always think it's really good for people to identify, like really know their 228 - > strengths like, what is it that I am really good at?

I have 229 - > one more? Can I share one more? Ah? I'm loving this question.

230 - > I'm great at reading a room, so I can walk in and I 231 - > can read the body language. I can read the nonverbals. I generally have 232 - > a pretty good idea of what people's agendas are. I'm pretty good at understanding 233 - > the power structure in a room.

I can read it pretty quickly. Sometimes 234 - > I miss it. My wife says I miss it more than I think I 235 - > do at dinner parties and things. That's what spouses are forward to keep you 236 - > in check.

But I'm pretty good at reading the body language and understanding who 237 - > thinks they have the power, and who does have the power, who thinks 238 - > they have the budget and who really has the budget, who has the signing 239 - > authority, and who is portraying they do. I have enough decades in selling 240 - > to be able to read how do I how do I get something done with 241 - > this group of people? That that's a superpower of mind. It's funny because 242 - > my husband and I we sort of it's kind of one of my superpowers too, 243 - > and we play it in a little bit different way, and we will 244 - > go into a restaurant or will go out to an event and we will create 245 - > We'll see a couple that we don't know and then create their story.

Like 246 - > I think, I think they work in this, I think they do this. 247 - > I think I think they're on a first date. I think they're not. 248 - > I think they've been married for this long.

And it's really funny because 249 - > we try try to work our way into a conversation with those individuals, and 250 - > I'm usually always like ninety percent spot up. It's as much fun as far 251 - > as their career and everything. I just have this ability to guess in reading 252 - > the psychology background I do not just sales, but I think so. The 253 - > answer is, yes, you do have a psychology background at you and sales.

254 - > That's right. So let's talk about greatest accomplishment or something you're super proud 255 - > of. Oh, I'm proud that I'm still married after fourteen years. Uh, 256 - > first and only marriage.

My wife and I had three sons in the 257 - > first five years, which was ill advised and wow, tortuous. I'm very 258 - > proud of that. I'm proud that my wife and I are raising three young 259 - > gentlemen. Our sons are eight, eleven, and thirteen, and they look 260 - > you in the eye and they shake your hand, and they pull out the 261 - > chair for you, and they groom themselves and tuck their shirts and their belts, 262 - > and they know that it was between a salad fork and a dinner fork.

263 - > And they read books. Sometimes through bribery or torture, they read. 264 - > So I'm proud of the three boys that we're raising. I'll tell you, 265 - > I'm also very proud of no one's ever asked me this question.

My wife 266 - > and I have a fairly traditional marriage. We were raised in a traditional family 267 - > where the husbands worked and the wives managed the families and the house and the 268 - > business. Those roles could have been reversed. But my wife and I, 269 - > we have thirteen years between us.

There's so quite a bit of age between 270 - > us, and we just agreed that if we were going to raise a family, 271 - > that one of us would work and one of us would be the primary 272 - > parent, right meaning like you know, homework and baths and that kind of 273 - > stuff. And although I'm a very active father, my wife is the stay 274 - > at home parent, if you will, running running our family and our house 275 - > and the finance. She manages all of our finances and my job is to 276 - > go earn the money.

It's very seventies or eighties, if you will, 277 - > but it works for us, so I think my wife feels very respected. 278 - > I don't want to do eight loads of laundry today, and she doesn't want 279 - > to go out and be responsible for earning what it takes to pay three kids 280 - > tuitions at private school. I don't want to do eight loads launching today. 281 - > Either does she, by the way, but that's what it takes with three 282 - > boys in the summertime.

But I take very seriously my role as a provider 283 - > for four people. I take it very seriously. And although you know we're 284 - > not independently wealthy by any stretch, I'm very proud. I'm a little emotional 285 - > right now.

I'm very proud of in a tough economy, in the midst 286 - > of COVID and having retired from a thirty year executive role, in launching a 287 - > new entrepreneurial business. I'm proud that the lights are on, and the cable 288 - > bill is paid, and the insurance is there, and we can afford braces, 289 - > and we don't have everything we want, but we have everything we need. 290 - > And I'm proud of the role that I've played as financial provider for four 291 - > people plus myself.

I never thought I was responsible enough to even pay my 292 - > own bills, let it pay the bills for for other people. And so 293 - > I'm very comfortable saying I'm proud of that, as you should be. Thank 294 - > you, very good, thank you. So now let's talk about one of 295 - > the greatest challenges that the listeners just hung up because they thought I was like 296 - > an egotist or I showed me enough on it at all.

My wife and 297 - > I have decided on what our roles should be, and we played them both 298 - > very well. And you know what that that's the whole thing is. It's 299 - > communicating and deciding what it is that you're going to do. I remember I 300 - > was on a speech I was speaking and full time, and I had a 301 - > very successful business.

And there are ten years between my husband and I, 302 - > except that I'm the ten years older and so he had never had children, 303 - > and so we were remarried and my children were already twenty and eighteen, and 304 - > so it was like, am I going to start all over for real? 305 - > And I said, well, you have to be a sixty percent. You 306 - > have to be a sixty percent dad, Like we're not just doing talking fifty 307 - > to fifty. You're going to have to step up and you're going to have 308 - > to be You're going to have to handle it when I'm gone one hundred percent.

309 - > And when I'm here, I'll handle it one hundred percent. But when 310 - > I'm on the road, you're going to have to handle it. And that 311 - > was our decision, that was our choice, that was what we made. 312 - > That was the agreement, and it worked, and it worked fabulously, and 313 - > some people didn't understand it.

And I took a lot of flak for being 314 - > the woman who was on the road and while he's home, you know, 315 - > taking care of our daughter. And I'm like, well, he's her dad, 316 - > so why shouldn't he And that's the that's the agreement we made. So 317 - > I just think it works. Whatever you're choosing, that's exactly right.

I 318 - > think it's situational. You know. I take out the garbage every day, 319 - > and I ironed the clothes for the boys, and I unload the dishwasher and 320 - > I vacuum. I don't do laundry because she says I don't understand delegates versus 321 - > cottons and separating colors, so she'd say it's not helpful, Scott, stay 322 - > away from the laundry room.

That's right, that's right. Yeah, I'll 323 - > stay okay, So let's talk about one of those greatest challenges, like what 324 - > in your career, what's a challenge that you faced, and then how did 325 - > you work through that. I'm very clear on this. I mentioned that for 326 - > twenty five years I worked for the Franklin Covey Company.

Stephen Covey, of 327 - > course, wrote the book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and as 328 - > the chief marketing officer, Belinda, I was called constantly from the press wanting 329 - > to interview me on doctor Covey's book, The Seven Habits of Highly Efficient People, 330 - > and I would say, no, the book is called the Seven Habits 331 - > of Highly Effective People, not the Seven Habits of highly Efficient People. Lots 332 - > of people get those confused. Sure, sound a lot of like And doctor 333 - > Covey one of his lessons legacies with me was there's a big difference between being 334 - > efficient and being effective.

Oh yeah, one is not better than the other. 335 - > They're just different. And as you may and tell from my personality, 336 - > and if any of your listeners have read my books or follow me on social 337 - > you know, I'm like a masterclass in efficiency. I get stuff done, 338 - > I get everyone at four o'clock, and I write articles and columns and books 339 - > and an entrepreneur, and I run three companies, and on and on and 340 - > on and on and on.

On Saturday morning, I get up at four 341 - > o'clock and our yard is raked by five, the cars are washed by six, 342 - > the lawn is mode by seven, the farmer's market flowers are planted by 343 - > eight, and I'm ready to start my day at nine. And so my 344 - > entire successful career has been from my efficiency mindset. I don't make any apologies 345 - > for it. The problem is, like most people that have the default efficiency 346 - > mindset, when we move that into our relationships, it explodes because, to 347 - > quote doctor Stephen Rcovey, with people, slow is fast and fast is slow.

348 - > And so I have to recognize when to be efficient mowing the lawn, 349 - > taking the garbage, cans out social media, sending out invoices, blah blah 350 - > blah. Never with relationships, I have to consciously slow down and remember to 351 - > be more effective with people. Take off my watch, turn off my phone, 352 - > close my laptop, check in, genuinely try to eliminate all of the 353 - > legitimate distractions from my focus on what you're saying, and deeply understand it's not 354 - > natural for me.

I'm not good at it. I'm good at mowing the 355 - > lawn in forty minutes and being done and taking the dishes out of bam, 356 - > bam and bam. So my biggest lesson in life has been not to diminish 357 - > the power of being efficient, but to know when to be efficient and when 358 - > not to be And that's been my biggest lesson because most of my relationship challenges 359 - > come because I haven't listened. I've jumped to conclusions, I've interrupted, I've 360 - > assumed I know the rest of the story, and Okay, stop right there, 361 - > let's solve it.

And that's usually when I get in trouble with people, 362 - > trouble with human resources, trouble with whatever it is because I've interrupted someone 363 - > shut them down because of my processing speed or my arrogance and thinking, oh, 364 - > I've been here, I already know this, let's just move on. 365 - > Really, is that right? So I think that's good advice for everyone, 366 - > is just to know when to be efficient and when to be effective. They're 367 - > both valuable, they're usually with different settings.

Usually efficiency is with things and 368 - > effectiveness is with relationships and people. Wow, that was great, I think 369 - > that's a problem. Yes, Sometimes I'll say, hey, Belinda can I 370 - > just have a real efficient conversation with you right now, and you say yes, 371 - > and I launched right into the point. I don't ask you about your 372 - > weekend.

I don't discuss the weather, I don't discuss last week's layoffs. 373 - > I'll declare, hey, Blenda, can I just have a quick, efficient 374 - > conversation now? You know, I just need to get some answers on some 375 - > things. Now.

That can't be my opening to every conversation, but I 376 - > think it's good advice for people like me that find themselves to be very productive, 377 - > but sometimes they're not expert at relationships, which is a crucial leadership competency 378 - > is knowing how to develop and sustain mutually beneficial, mutually trustworthy relationships. So 379 - > this is kind of our signature question of the show, and that is, 380 - > what does working from your happy place mean to you?

What does working from 381 - > my happy place mean to me? Mm hmm, I'm going to disappoint you. 382 - > I don't know the answer to that question offhand. Again, no one 383 - > has asked me that question.

I guess I would answer it this way. 384 - > Is probably the confluence of feeling satisfied that I've added some value to someone else, 385 - > feeling like I got credit for it, that it helped someone else lifting 386 - > them up, giving them validation, moving them forward, and that I was 387 - > economically rewarded for it reasonably. I think it. Probably I'm making that up 388 - > extemporaneously, but I feel pretty good about that answer.

Or I've never I've 389 - > never found great joy and a lot of work. I'm a capitalist, and 390 - > so I work to earn money. I tend to find joy in other aspects 391 - > of life, and I'm very comfortable saying that. And my number one professional 392 - > value is to maximize my income.

Notice I didn't say my number one personal 393 - > value. I have a set of personal values and a set of professional values. 394 - > I know exactly what they are. I'm very clear on them, and 395 - > I live my life and alignment with them.

And sometimes they're in conflict, 396 - > and that's okay. But because I know my personal values purpose, health, 397 - > integrity, loyalty, positivity, abundance, and learning, those are my personal 398 - > values, and I know my professional values maximize income, work with a brand 399 - > that I respect, and work with people that I love. I tend to 400 - > find my joy. My happy place is usually playing tennis, drinking champagne, 401 - > doing yard work, reading magazines, vacation with my family, going to church, 402 - > and for me, work is generally a means to an end.

Okay, 403 - > long answer, I apologize, no, no, no, no. 404 - > And the last question is what advice would you give to anyone just starting out 405 - > on this entrepreneurial journey. It's going to take longer than you think, it's 406 - > going to cost more than you expect. You're going to be humbled many times.

407 - > Your deliberate strategy coming out of the gate will probably not be your emergent 408 - > strategy, meaning something like ninety percent of successful people, companies, entrepreneurs find 409 - > success with some different product or go to market approach or customer than they thought 410 - > they were going to have. I've launched lots of products I were convinced we're 411 - > going to be B two C products that flocked and the B two C market, 412 - > but found resonance and the B to B market.

So I think you've 413 - > got to become really emotionally agile and nimble to say, okay, well that 414 - > didn't work, So what did I learn from that? Let's try something else. 415 - > It's going to be harder and more expensive and take longer than you think, 416 - > so be prepared for that and just look at every setback, every failure, 417 - > every moderate success, as a learning Okay, so that didn't work. 418 - > What did I learn with that?

Too? Arrogant? Did I not ask 419 - > enough questions? That I assumed too much?

Had I not done my research? 420 - > Should it have been named wrong? That I marketed the way I wanted 421 - > to be marketed to or the way the buyer wanted to be marketed to. 422 - > Am I using my language to describe it?

Or way the buyer would describe 423 - > it? Have I looked at my circumstance or the circumstance my client is in? 424 - > And so I think it's just constantly reinventing self disrupting and being super gil 425 - > and nimble until you discover that right nexus of what's going to be successful. 426 - > That's golden advice right there.

That was golden, golden advice right there. 427 - > So I hope our listeners will go back. If you're on your treadmill or 428 - > you're outlocking, that's the one you need to go back and say, all 429 - > right, let me get my notebook. I gotta write that one down, 430 - > because that was very very good I took not it's myself.

You know, 431 - > I'm in the process. I thought I thought something was going to take four 432 - > months, and it took fourteen months. Yeah, I was convinced that this 433 - > would cost you know, thirty thousand, and it costs sixty five thousand, 434 - > right or I thought, I just thought I can have this deal signed in 435 - > nine weeks, and it took fourteen weeks or forty weeks. So don't put 436 - > all your eggs in one basket.

Head your bets long enough to make sure 437 - > that you are convinced something is showing signs of prospering. And always have a 438 - > plan. B. Always have a plan, and see always have a plan.

439 - > D. Never get caught with your shorts down metaphorically by always having contingency 440 - > plans. It's exhausting and it can be really rewarding. Great.

So, 441 - > any new and exciting things that you're working on right now that you'd love our 442 - > listeners to know about. And what book would you really like to promote right 443 - > now? Well, first of all, all the books behind me, because 444 - > I'm big fans of all the authors that I've interviewed. I have a new 445 - > book coming out on July eleventh, called The Ultimate Guide to Great Mentorship Thirteen 446 - > Roles to Making a True Impact.

This is a book for companies that have 447 - > mentor programs and universities and school districts. It's called The Ultimate Guide to Great 448 - > Mentorship. You can visit great mentorship dot com. I have a certification program 449 - > on it.

You can be certified as a new mentor. I have a 450 - > new book coming out in February called Career on Course tend Strategies to take your 451 - > career from accidental to Intentional. From a guy who started in the front line 452 - > and moved to the C suite, I learned a lot from my own career 453 - > mistakes and successes in those of others, and so this is a really valuable 454 - > career book that launches in mid February of twenty twenty four. It'll be on 455 - > sale for pre order probably in the fall.

Okay, those are two things 456 - > I'm excited about. And I'm excited about all the great guests that are coming 457 - > on to the On Leadership podcast. Some awesome guest Brene Brown's coming on, 458 - > Tony Robbins, Scottie Pippin, got some great guests coming onto the podcast in 459 - > the coming weeks and months. Well, that sounds fantastic.

Well, Scott, 460 - > thank you so much for pouring into our guest today. I certainly do 461 - > appreciate it. Blinda, thank you again for having me on and I'm going 462 - > to start playing that game with my wife to see who has a better batting 463 - > average of guessing people's backstory at restaurants and parties. You'll have fun with it, 464 - > I promise sounds great.

Thank you absolutely to all of our guests out 465 - > there. Thank you so much for joining us today. We know that you 466 - > have a choice of we're to spend your time, and we're so grateful that 467 - > you chose to spend it with us today. Make sure you follow our subscribe 468 - > and check out our website because we've got lots of fun and exciting things going 469 - > on.

Check out Scott's podcast and his new book. Thank you so much, 470 - > and we'll see you next time on work from your happy place.