The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode 134: Patrick Lencioni – Naked Consulting: Why It Works I read Pat’s Leadership Fable, “The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team” many years ago and became a huge fan of his work.  “Getting Naked” is another seminal piece on shedding fear.  You’ll notice on this episode that Pat also has a great wit and sense of humor.  I was learning and laughing throughout the conversation. Pat Lencioni is the founder of The Table Group and the author of 10 books which have sold nearly 5 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages. The Wall Street Journal called him "one of the most in demand speakers in America." He has addressed millions of people at conferences and events around the world over the past 15 years. Pat has written for or been featured in numerous publications including Harvard Business Review, Inc., Fortune, Fast Company, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek. As CEO, Pat spends his time writing books and articles related to leadership and organizational health, speaking to au

Episode 133: John Ruhlin – Giftology: Radical Generosity Is Your Secret Weapon John Ruhlin is the founder of The Ruhlin Group, a gift logistics company that helps clients like the Chicago Cubs, Wells Fargo, Caesar s Entertainment, Miami Dolphins, Morgan Stanley, and The John Maxwell Company execute year-round gifting strategies. John's unique approach to relationships led him to become the #1 salesman for a $250 Million direct sales company by the time he was 23 (out of 1.5 Million reps). He now speaks widely about strategic gifting and relationship building and helps CEOs and sales teams drive referrals and open doors to elusive decision makers. He is the author of “Giftology.” Ruhlin breaks down how anyone from mail clerk to managing director can master the magic of Giftology; with these and more: Mastering reciprocity, the hidden bottom line booster Laser-targeting whom to give a gift and when to use thrift Uncovering your client s inner circle and becoming part of it Give wholeheartedly to Giftology and r

Episode 132: Kevin Kelly -  How To See The Future... Much of what will happen in the next thirty years is inevitable, driven by technological trends that are already in motion. In this fascinating, provocative new book, Kevin Kelly provides an optimistic road map for the future, showing how the coming changes in our lives—from virtual reality in the home to an on-demand economy to artificial intelligence embedded in everything we manufacture—can be understood as the result of a few long-term, accelerating forces. Kelly both describes these deep trends—interacting, cognifying, flowing, screening, accessing, sharing, filtering, remixing, tracking, and questioning—and demonstrates how they overlap and are codependent on one another. These larger forces will completely revolutionize the way we buy, work, learn, and communicate with each other. By understanding and embracing them, says Kelly, it will be easier for us to remain on top of the coming wave of changes and to arrange our day-to-day relationships with te

Episode 131: Marshall Goldsmith – The #1 Leadership & CEO Coach In The World When you google “helping successful leaders,” the name that will appear on almost all 3,500+ results is Marshall Goldsmith…  It was an absolute thrill to learn directly from him during this conversation on The Learning Leader Show. Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is the author or editor of 35 books, which have sold over two million copies, been translated into 30 languages and become bestsellers in 12 countries. He has written two New York Times bestsellers, MOJO and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There – a Wall Street Journal #1 business book and winner of the Harold Longman Award for Business Book of the Year. His newest book Triggers: Creating Behavior that Lasts – Becoming the Person You Want to Be was published on May 19, 2015. Marshall’s global professional acknowledgments include: Harvard Business Review – World’s #1 Leadership Thinker, Institute for Management Studies – Lifetime Achievement Award (one of only two ever awarded), A

Episode 130: Ryan Holiday – What Is Your Greatest Enemy? Your Ego If you enjoyed the first conversation Ryan Holiday and I had, then you will absolutely love this one.  We went much deeper on a number of really interesting topics including: Destiny (does it choose us?), Ego, Stoicism, Risk, Metallica, Focus, Silence, and Gawker Media… I loved it. Ryan Holiday is a media strategist and prominent writer on strategy and business. After dropping out of college at nineteen to apprentice under Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power, he went on to advise many bestselling authors and multiplatinum musicians. He served as director of marketing at American Apparel for many years, where his campaigns have been used as case studies by Twitter, YouTube, and Google and written about in AdAge, the New York Times, and Fast Company.  His most recent book, “Ego Is The Enemy” draws on a vast array of stories and examples, from literature to philosophy to his­tory. We meet fascinating figures such as George Marshall, Jack

Episode 129: Rory Vaden – Why The Best “Take The Stairs” Self-Discipline Strategist Rory Vaden’s book Take the Stairs is a #1 Wall St Journal, #1 USA Today, and #2 New York Times bestseller. As an award-winning entrepreneur and business leader, Rory Co-Founded Southwestern Consulting™, a multi-million dollar global consulting practice that helps clients in more than 14 countries drive educated decisions with relevant data. He’s also the Founder of The Center for the Study of Self-Discipline (CSSD). Rory is the world’s leader on defining the psychology around modern day procrastination, called Priority Dilution™ - in fact, he coined the term. He speaks and consults on how to say no to the things that don’t matter, and yes to the things that do. His client list includes companies and groups such as: Cargill, The Million Dollar Roundtable, P&G, True Value, YPO, Wells Fargo Advisors, Land O’Lakes, Novartis, and hundreds more. His insights have recently been featured on/in: Fox News, CNN, Wall Street Journal,

Episode 128: Donna Dubinsky – Standing Up To Steve Jobs And Being Right Donna Dubinsky was made famous by the Harvard Business School study about the time when she disagreed with Steve Jobs (when he decided that Apple should eliminate their distribution warehouse).  She ultimately prevailed and we discussed what happened next in her incredible career.  We had a fascinating conversation on this episode of The Learning Leader Show. Donna Dubinsky first partnered with Jeff Hawkins at Palm, Inc. in 1992, where she served as president and CEO. She held this position throughout Palm’s acquisition by U.S Robotics and subsequently 3Com Corporation. In 1998, Donna and Jeff co-founded Handspring, creator of the category-defining Treo smartphone. Handspring merged with Palm in 2003, and Donna continued to serve on Palm’s board until 2009. Previously, Donna spent 10 years at Apple Inc. in a multitude of sales, sales support, and logistics functions—both at Apple and at Claris, an Apple software subsidiary. Donna earned a

Episode 127: Adam Grant – How Originals Impact The World Adam Grant has been a leader I’ve admired since I read his NY Times best-selling book, “Give and Take” in 2013.  The book changed my life.  It changed how I view the world and how I view success.  The path to success and sustained excellence is different than I originally thought and I have Adam to thank for you.  It was an absolute thrill to have this conversation with Adam. Adam Grant is Wharton’s top-rated professor and a New York Times writer on work and psychology. He has been recognized as one of the world's 25 most influential management thinkers, the 100 most creative people in business, the 40 best business professors under 40, and Malcolm Gladwell’s favorite thinkers. Adam is the author of two New York Times bestselling books translated into 35 languages. Originals explores how individuals champion new ideas and leaders fight groupthink; it is a #1 national bestseller and one of Amazon's best books of February 2016. Give and Take examines why

Episode 126: Jayson Gaignard – Mastermind Talks: An Event With A Lower Acceptance Rate Than Harvard Jayson Gaignard has become a great friend over the course of the past year.  He calls himself a “talent scout” – Meaning he looks for people on the rise and works hard to support them on that journey.  Jayson believes building those relationships are more important than just simply seeking the “already famous” people in the world.  I’m grateful that he’s been such a great supporter of me for the last year.  The event that Jayson Gaignard has created (Mastermind Talks) is harder to get an invitation to than it is to get accepted to Harvard (5.2% for Harvard).  Mastermind Talks accepts less than 1 half of 1% of applicants.  Jayson Gaignard says this is the key to the long term success of his business.  In 2016, the event was held in Ojai, CA and I was fortunate to be one of those in attendance.  During this conversation today, we discussed the details and specifics around executing a world class event.  You’ll be

Episode 125: Garry Ridge – How To Build A Tribal Culture (CEO WD-40) Garry Ridge is president and chief executive officer of the WD-40 Company (NASDAQ WDFC) headquartered in San Diego, California. WD-40 Company is the maker of the ever-popular WD-40. A native of Australia, Garry has served as national vice president of the Australian Marketing Institute and the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association. Garry is an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego. He teaches leadership development, talent management & succession planning in the Master of Science in Executive Leadership program.  In March 2003, Garry was awarded Director of the Year for Enhancement of Economic Value by the Corporate Directors forum.  In 2006, Garry was awarded the Ernst & Young - Master Entrepreneur Award. In 2009, Garry co-authored a book with Ken Blanchard titled “Helping People Win at Work: A Business Philosophy called “Don’t Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A.” Episode 125: Garry Ridge – How To Build A Tribal Cult

Episode 124: Don Wettrick – Pure Genius: Learning From The Innovation Teacher Don Wettrick has become a great friend over the last three months.  I absolutely love what he is doing for the students he’s leading at Noblesville High School.  It takes a dynamic and fearless leader to create and implement his idea for an Innovation factory within a high school.  I love it!   Don Wettrick is an Innovation Specialist at Noblesville High School, just outside Indianapolis, IN. He is the author of “Pure Genius: Building a Culture of Innovation and Taking 20% Time to the Next Level”. Wettrick has worked as a middle school and high school teacher; educational and innovation consultant; and educational speaker. Don is passionate about helping students find their educational opportunities and providing them with the digital tools they need to give them a competitive edge. Don has lectured across the US and Europe about collaboration, social media use, and work environments that enable innovation. He also hosts an internet

Episode 123: David Allen – How To Get Things Done David Allen is an incredible leader.  Between his best-selling book, “Getting Things Done,” The 5 I’s, and living in Europe, I was blown away by the depth of David.  There is a great deal to learn from him and his experiences.  We had a fascinating conversation on this episode of The Learning Leader Show. Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them. That’s why David Allen created Getting Things Done®. GTD is the work-life management system that has helped countless individuals and organizations bring order to chaos. GTD enables greater performance, capacity, and innovation. It alleviates the feeling of overwhelm—instilling focus, clarity, and confidence. After decades of in-the-field research and practice of his productivity methods, David wrote the international best-seller Getting Things Done. Published in over 28 languages, TIME magazine heralded it as “the defining self-help business book of its time.” In 2015, he released a new edition of the book, wi

Episode 122: Sarah Robb O’Hagan – EXTREME YOU: Unlocking Your Potential Executive, activist and entrepreneur, Sarah Robb O’Hagan is described by the media as everything from “Superwoman undercover” to the “Queen of the Jocks” to the ultimate example of where fierce business woman, mother and fitness fanatic combine. Named among Forbes “Most Powerful Women in Sports” and recognized as one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business” Sarah is an internationally recognized re-inventor of brands, but if you ask Sarah, she’ll say she’s in business to help individuals and teams achieve their potential. Sarah was born in New Zealand – the first country in the world to give women the vote and home to the first man to climb Mt Everest. The pioneering spirit of her country cultivated Sarah’s drive and imagination for “what’s possible” enabling her to found a movement she currently leads called “Extreme Living” – helping individuals, teams and businesses unlock their potential by discovering their own uniquely e

Episode 121: Ryan Michler – How To Build Your 1,000 True Fans If you have a desire to build your own tribe full of raving, engaged fans, then this is a great episode for you.  I originally met Ryan Michler over a year ago… He was in the midst of building his community, “The Order of Man.”  It’s incredible to see how far and impactful his community has become in just 12 months.  In addition… Ryan and his wife had their 4th child the DAY BEFORE we recorded this episode.  Ryan is a man of his word and didn’t want to cancel even in the midst of having a child!  Incredible. Ryan Michler is the creator of “The Order of Man” and “The Iron Council.”  The Order of Man is a website that provides fantastic value to leaders who strive to improve on a daily basis.  Ryan also has a podcast with the same name.  I was fortunate to be a guest on his show in May of 2015.  You can listen to that episode HERE  if you would like. Episode 121: Ryan Michler – How To Build Your 1,000 True Fans Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio

Episode 120: Andrew Brandt – Learning From A World Class Negotiator Andrew Brandt leads a fascinating life.  A great mentor of mine told me to always be on the lookout for others who have had “success in multiple life categories.” In Andrew’s case, he’s done that throughout his life: Stanford graduating Cum Laude à Georgetown Law à NFL Player agent à VP and head negotiator for The Green Bay Packers à Top Business analyst for ESPN/Writer for The MMQB/ Leader at Villanova.  This is a very insightful conversation on The Learning Leader Show. Andrew Brandt is an ESPN Business Analyst. He’s a weekly columnist; at The MMQB.com Andrew is also the Exec. Director, Moorad Center at Villanova. He focuses on trying to stay true to the good and never peaking.  Previously, he was the Vice President of Player Finance and General Counsel of Green Bay Packers.  He was in charge of The Packers Salary Cap as well as negotiating all of the player contracts for the team. Episode 120: Andrew Brandt – Learning From A World Class Ne

Episode 119: Jane Atkinson – How To Launch Your Speaking Career If you ever plan to speak in front of a group of people, then you’ll want to listen to this episode with Jane Atkinson.  If you have a desire to speak professionally and get paid, then you’ll love this conversation.  I really enjoyed this conversation, specifically the portion of the talk where Jane did a live workshop with me.   I learned a great deal about the speaking profession from Jane Atkinson has been helping speakers catapult their businesses for over 20 years. As a former speaker’s agent, she has represented numerous speakers, celebrities and best-selling authors. Today, as a speaker coach, Jane has helped some of the industry’s hottest stars. Many of Jane’s clients have vaulted to the top 3% of the field. Her clients are the who’s who…. Executive VP’s of Fortune 100 companies, Editors-in-Chief of Top Magazines, Bestselling Authors, Adventurers, Ivy League Professors and regular everyday people who have a strong message. Jane’s book ent

Episode 118: Greg McKeown – Essentialism: The Discipline Of Saying No I’ve been a big fan of Greg McKeown’s message and his writing since his best-selling book, “Essentialism” came out.  Greg has mastered the art and science behind optimizing his day, creating routines, and always asking the question, “Is this the absolute best use of my time?”  This is a very important and helpful conversation that we all can learn from.  How can we say no more often and eliminate everything that is not essential? Greg McKeown has dedicated his career to discovering why some people break through to the next level—and others don’t. The definitive treatment of this issue is addressed in McKeown’s latest project: the instant New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.  As well as frequently being the #1 Time Management book on Amazon, this book challenges core assumptions about achievement to get to the essence of what really drives success. Episode 118: Greg McKeown – Essen

Episode 117: Tim Urban –  Using Procrastination to Perform A Ted Talk & Befriend Elon Musk Listen carefully to both the beginning and the end of this conversation.  Tim Urban is one of the most thoughtful leaders that I have ever met.  As a listener I found Tim to be patient and thoughtful in his responses to my questions, sometimes taking a minute or so before his point came across.  Genuinely, I loved that about him.  Be prepared for an incredibly funny, yet insightful conversation on The Learning Leader Show. Tim Urban has become one of the Internet’s most popular writers. With wry stick-figure illustrations and occasionally epic prose on everything from procrastination to artificial intelligence, Urban's blog, Wait But Why, has garnered millions of unique page views, thousands of patrons and famous fans like Elon Musk. (Bio from Ted.com) Episode 117: Tim Urban –  Using Procrastination to Perform A Ted Talk & Befriend Elon Musk Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show “Life i

Episode 116: Paul Madera – Why He Invested $10 Million In Facebook In 2005 Paul Madera is one of the most down to earth and humble people I’ve ever spoken to… Considering the immense level of success in multiple life categories, I initially expected that he would have at least a semblance of an ego.  As you’ll hear, that does not exist within Paul.  What a refreshing and enjoyable conversation on this episode of The Learning Leader Show. Paul Madera is the founder of Meritech (1999).  Meritech is known as the pioneer of late stage investing. Paul currently focuses on the SaaS, storage, e-commerce, financial technology, digital consumer, and medical device sectors.  In 2005, Paul sat down with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and made the decision to invest $10 million to earn 2% of Facebook at the time ($500m valuation).  As most people know, Facebook is now worth hundreds of billions of dollars.  Paul also led the charge for Meritech to be an early investor in Salesforce.com among many other great decisions. Pau

Episode 115: Amy Porterfield - Working With Tony Robbins, Harley Davidson, & Launching Your Own Business Amy Porterfield is remarkably intelligent and an absolute joy to talk to.  I love her attitude and approach to her life and business.  Sometimes you have a conversation where it just clicks and this is one of those.  Between being a world class leader/coach/trainer, Amy is successful in multiple life categories.  I loved this conversation. Amy Porterfield is the co-author of “Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies” and a Social Media Strategist.  She creates educational programs for small businesses and entrepreneurs to help them get more traffic, leads and sales with social media marketing. She’s been in the marketing arena for over 12 years and spent over 6 years working alongside Peak Performance Coach, Tony Robbins, where she managed his content marketing team and major online marketing campaigns. Episode 115: Amy Porterfield - Working With Tony Robbins, Harley Davidson, & Launching Your Own