WEBVTT
00:00:01.679 --> 00:00:05.759
Have you ever frozen in the key moment of making a critical decision?
00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:09.679
Whether it's in business or in life, it can cost you everything.
00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:14.960
Commander's Intent will teach and inspire you how to lead with clarity, courage, and purpose.
00:00:15.199 --> 00:00:22.640
So here's your host, retired Air Force Colonel, fighter pilot, and your leadership mentor, Derek Oaks.
00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:29.760
Hello, I'm Derek Oaks and welcome again to another episode of Commander's Intent.
00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:44.880
Rob and I are here to talk to a friend of mine who is a keynote speaker and an author and an owner of multiple businesses in I think it's supply chain and gym and who knows what else, but I'll let Ty introduce himself here in a second.
00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:49.679
We have uh Ty Bennett with us, and I'm gonna turn the time over to you, Ty, to just do a quick introduction.
00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:51.200
Well, thanks for having me.
00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:51.920
I appreciate it.
00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:54.960
Good, always good to talk, leadership and high performance.
00:00:55.119 --> 00:00:58.320
And I'd love to learn from you too as well with your experience.
00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:00.640
And so my background is as an entrepreneur.
00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:04.319
I've built and sold a few different businesses in a couple of different industries.
00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:10.480
But over the last 16 years, the main thing that I've been doing is giving speeches and writing books.
00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:20.480
And so I think today we're gonna dive into my newest book that actually is just about to come out called Redefining High Performance and hopefully flesh out some of the ideas there.
00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:24.799
But yeah, I love conversations like this that we can dive deeper into things that move the needle.
00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:25.519
Okay, great.
00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:30.719
Yeah, and a little bit about my background and Rob's background to kind of set the stage why this interests us so much.
00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:33.280
I was in a fighter squadron for many, many years.
00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:40.159
I was a fighter squadron commander, then a fighter group commander where I had a lot of type A, very high achieving individuals.
00:01:40.239 --> 00:01:47.840
You know, if you make it to a fighter squadron, chances are in your pilot training class of 20 to 40 students, you're in the top 20%.
00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:57.359
And then you go to a fighter squadron, and there's always a fight, you know, there's always a healthy competition of who's the best fighter pilot, who is the best flight lead.
00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:04.799
And so in my leadership roles, most of the people I worked with, they were high performers, but I still had to get more out of them.
00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:12.719
You know, I'm entrusting them with a multi-million dollar piece of equipment every time they step to the jet, and I'm entrusting them with decisions about life or death.
00:02:12.879 --> 00:02:14.000
And so that was really important.
00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:33.120
And then, you know, Rob's very similar, you know, working in special operations, he had individuals that were representing the United States of America in the middle of nowhere, where they're forced to make decisions and then act in a way that didn't embarrass us, that executed the mission and were high performing at every step along the way.
00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:38.479
And so, how do you get that out of people all the time, besides some people naturally being that way?
00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:40.400
How do you get high performance out of your entire team?
00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:43.360
So, why don't you tell us a little bit about how you got to this point?
00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:46.240
Why would you want to write a book about high performance?
00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:47.520
Everybody wants high performance.
00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:49.680
What was it that so drew you to this idea?
00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:58.719
Yeah, so I like you, you know, ambitious as somebody who likes to achieve and is driven to go after things.
00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:03.039
And I've done that in multiple areas and speak to a lot of leaders and salespeople.
00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:07.759
And so I'm around and speaking to a lot of these people who are high performers.
00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:17.599
But I was curious, the other side of that too is in my personal life, I have five kids, but two of my boys got involved in the sport American Ninja Warrior.
00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:25.759
If you've seen the show, they were on the show, compete nationally, both nationally ranked, and performing athletically at a very high level.
00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:30.719
And so a lot of our conversations centered around these principles of high performance.
00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:33.520
How do they take their athletic performance to another level?
00:03:33.599 --> 00:03:36.719
And I'm talking to leaders and salespeople about the same kind of things.
00:03:36.960 --> 00:03:44.960
And so at some point, I started to really like analyze it and say, okay, what are the key drivers?
00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:45.919
What are these things?
00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:54.560
And that led us down the road to partnering with a research firm and building out and conducting a national research study on high performance.
00:03:54.800 --> 00:04:00.240
So I think we can all observe things and say, okay, this is what I think that high performance comes down to.
00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:02.240
But I wanted to do some research around it.
00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:05.199
And I think the insights that came out of it were great.
00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:09.840
They gave me an understanding and not just some of them were confirming, right?
00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:20.720
Some were surprising, but ultimately putting some statistics around like these are the drivers, these are the barriers to high performance, these are some of the mindsets that came out of the research.
00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:31.600
And it helped me to understand it at a more granular level so that we could talk about it in a deeper way and hopefully help people to understand maybe some of those missing pieces that they aren't implementing.
00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:32.319
Oh, thanks.
00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:34.000
It's it's fascinating to me.
00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:35.519
I had a couple of questions.
00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:39.279
Actually, my first question is gonna be what was the most surprising thing you found?
00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:44.000
You talked about how some things were you already knew it, some put data behind what you already thought.
00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:47.040
But was there anything really surprising about what you found?
00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:53.040
You know, there's some interesting statistics that you would just think, like, I mean, that just came out of the research.
00:04:53.199 --> 00:05:05.839
Some that are, well, here's one 54% of people, so basically half of working America, said they would actually take less money to work in an organization that helps them to perform better.
00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:07.279
That was surprising to me.
00:05:07.360 --> 00:05:09.360
Like that you would actually say, okay, you know what?
00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:22.079
My personal growth, my own abilities, and having a team and support and leaders around me that are going to make me better, that's worth more to me than maybe a race, right?
00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:23.199
Like that's a driver.
00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:25.120
So that was an interesting statistic.
00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:28.879
76% of people said you don't need a college education to be high performing.
00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:34.879
That was just kind of an interesting phenomena throwaway number that was like, yeah, that's probably true in our world today.
00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:39.439
Obviously, there's degrees are going to be needed for certain, depending on what route you go.
00:05:39.680 --> 00:05:53.839
But one statistic that I found really interesting that created clarity on certain things is when we looked at the barriers to high performance, the number one barrier to high performance that came back, according to the research, was the fear of failure.
00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:58.240
And I think universally we all face that in some way, shape, or form, right?
00:05:58.319 --> 00:05:59.120
That shows up for us.
00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:01.519
But here was the statistic that I thought was interesting.
00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:06.800
We asked people how important or like how do you see failure?
00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:08.800
Is it important to embrace failure?
00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:15.360
And in the research, 76% of the people, 75% of the people said yes, it's very important to embrace failure.
00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:18.399
Then we asked those same people, how often do you do it?
00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:20.399
And that dropped down to 40%.
00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:25.439
And in research, that's what you call a performance gap, right?
00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:29.360
The difference between what we know we should do and what we actually do.
00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:32.399
And the easiest way to raise performance is to close that gap.
00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:37.920
And so there were some things like that, some stats that stood out that went, there's a missing link here, right?
00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:48.000
There's things that logically we say yes, but emotionally we can't move ourselves to do, like embracing failure the way that we need to to be able to move forward or different things like that.
00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:51.600
Yeah, there was a lot of the data that was very fascinating to me.
00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:52.639
That is really fascinating.
00:06:52.720 --> 00:06:54.560
I want to go back to the first stat that you threw out there.
00:06:54.720 --> 00:07:01.759
54% of the people will take an environment that pays them less money but allows them to achieve at a higher level.
00:07:01.920 --> 00:07:03.519
We saw that a lot in the military.
00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:15.120
You would have these young airmen, they're literally at the poverty line with three kids at home and a wife who's not working because she's taking care of those three kids and daycare is more expensive.
00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:32.480
And yet they're gone six months a year and they're doing very hard jobs, and a lot is asked of them, and yet they love it, and they wouldn't give it up for anything because they love the challenge of being pushed and the challenge of being able to exceed expectations.
00:07:32.639 --> 00:07:46.639
You know, a lot of them were kids who didn't graduate from college, they went through their military training and they were given the keys to the kingdom and given a lot of responsibility, and they loved the chance to excel and overachieve.
00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:49.439
And so I saw exactly that over and over.
00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:54.480
I would even think that number is higher if you give people an example of what that looks like.
00:07:55.199 --> 00:07:57.439
Because I think people love that kind of an environment.
00:07:57.519 --> 00:07:58.879
But you need enough money to go ahead.
00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:06.480
No, I was gonna say one thing that is interesting about the military in particular is there's real clarity on purpose, right?
00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:11.360
Underlying to sustain high performance, purpose has to be there.
00:08:11.600 --> 00:08:14.800
We have to have a sense of something bigger than ourselves.
00:08:14.879 --> 00:08:26.000
And so, yeah, I would think within the military structure, those numbers would be inflated tremendously because you have a real vision and clarity on what the purpose is and why you're there.
00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:26.639
Yeah.
00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:28.160
I hear that over and over again.
00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:31.439
Kids get into the military and they don't know what their why is.
00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:34.960
They don't know what I am doing on this earth in the first place.
00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:36.879
They're kind of meandering through school.
00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:38.799
They were C students at best.
00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:45.440
They get in and they get into a career film, they go, I actually I'm a member of an important team and I'm doing something that's worthwhile.
00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:52.000
And they excel well beyond the expectations of all their buddies from high school and even their parents because they have that purpose.
00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:53.200
Yeah, that's beautiful.
00:08:53.440 --> 00:08:58.240
With those kind of statistics, how has it made you change when you think about leadership?
00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:12.399
Like what is your you don't have to give me the punchline of the book and reveal everything, but what is your conclusion of how, as leaders, you get the most out of your team and you create an environment where they're gonna excel and gonna be high performing team members.
00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:16.320
Yeah, so I think we could take that question in a couple of different directions.
00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:24.000
The way I break down the book based off the research is we have identified five key drivers of high performance.
00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:27.440
We've identified three key barriers to high performance.
00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:31.600
And then out of the research, there's three mindsets that really came out of it.
00:09:31.759 --> 00:09:43.519
And so to answer this question, I maybe I'm gonna focus on those three mindsets because these are kind of a practice way of being that if leaders can embrace it, what it creates is the best environment for their people.
00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:50.720
So the three mindsets are these: they're confident curiosity, a relaxed intensity, and empathic drive.
00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:52.720
So I can break those down just a little bit.
00:09:52.879 --> 00:10:04.000
Confident curiosity means that you are confident, you have a sense of confidence to move forward, to take action, but you still remain open, you still remain curious.
00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:12.240
You don't skew too far in the confidence to arrogance to where you have it all figured out and nobody else has an idea that's worth taking, right?
00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:21.679
And therefore you create openness within your team and you adjust when needed, but you still need that confidence to be moved forward.
00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:28.240
A relaxed intensity is drive with a calmness, right?
00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:29.360
It's poise.
00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:36.720
How do you go into battle as a leader and still maintain your decision-making ability?
00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:43.200
How do you not create frantic anxiety within your team when you're dealing under pressure?
00:10:43.360 --> 00:10:49.679
And then an empathic drive is a leader that's driven for results, but doesn't forget about relationships, right?
00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:55.279
Because connection is one of those drivers within an organization that really drives high performance.
00:10:55.440 --> 00:10:59.440
And so it's not about lowering standards, it's actually about raising connection.
00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:08.799
But for type A leaders, who most people fall into that realm, it's often that we go after results and sometimes the relationships get pushed to the side.
00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:11.120
And so it's finding a balance in those things.
00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:27.039
Those three mindsets and balances, I think for me, is something that I'm constantly trying to look at in terms of how I'm leading, how I'm showing up, because I'm trying to create the best environment for my people, for my team to be able to perform at the highest level, too.
00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:28.320
I want to touch on one of those.
00:11:28.559 --> 00:11:29.200
How do you say it?
00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:30.559
The confidence with calmness.
00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:31.279
Did I say that yet?
00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:35.759
Yeah, relaxed, uh, relaxed intensity or confident curiosity.
00:11:36.159 --> 00:11:36.799
Yeah, relaxed intensity.
00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:37.600
Okay, either way.
00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:38.399
Confident curiosity.
00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:39.039
That's what it is.
00:11:39.120 --> 00:11:47.279
Uh in what one of Tom Clancy's books, Zach Ryan is being described and by another character in the book, and they said he's a cool man in a storm.
00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:48.799
Like I I love that.
00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:51.360
Am I a cool man in a storm?
00:11:51.519 --> 00:11:57.279
When I'm uh standing in front of the team, do they feel a hurriedness about me?
00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:00.799
Do they feel anxiety when they're watching me speak?
00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:08.480
Or do I inspire confidence and do I inspire relaxation while still driving with a purpose?
00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:10.559
And that's a hard thing to do.
00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:13.759
That's a hard characteristic, I think, to develop.
00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:14.799
Yeah, I agree.
00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:18.080
But I think there's practices that can help get you there.
00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:28.080
I think some people are going to be a little bit more natural at it than others, but I think that there are some skills that you can apply to be able to manage that better as a leader.
00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:28.799
I hope so.
00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:33.679
Because it's not a skill that many people have, and yet it's I agree with you, it is very needed.
00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:34.960
Well, it's interesting.
00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:42.720
When you were talking about the relaxed intensity and the confident curiosity, I agree wholeheartedly that one anecdote that I have.
00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:54.159
But when I went to Air Command of Staff College, which is kind of our mid-level leadership school, they had a template for how they think that the most high performing groups look which flight they think is going to be high performing.
00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:57.039
And I'll never forget my flight commander on day one.
00:12:57.120 --> 00:13:00.639
She went home and told her husband, because man, I think I have a dead last flight.
00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:04.480
She thought we were all duds because we were supposed to set goals.
00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:10.399
And our goal for the entire group we all connect with was don't suck and don't be the weakest link.
00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:13.120
And she thought, Oh my goodness, these guys don't care.
00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:20.320
Well, when all was said and done, six or eight weeks later, at the end of the school, we were the number one flight in the school by so many points.
00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:24.799
We'd got to take them to zero on the last graded exam and still worn.
00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:32.639
And part of that was because we were so relaxed, we were confident in our own abilities, and everybody just said, take care of your own stuff, make it happen.
00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:40.720
And it was amazing how much we got done and how well the whole team performed just by taking care of their own business.
00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:50.639
But I also was amazed by how misunderstood we were by the leadership of that school when we won the Chief of Staff Trophy and we're in our flight room and we're celebrating.
00:13:50.720 --> 00:14:02.480
The squadron commander comes in afterwards, and we were not the typical, we were not marching formation and hooting and all, and we weren't demonstratively showing that we were this super confident, tight-knit group.
00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:04.879
We just were, and we all understood that.
00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:11.919
And when he walked into our room, he kind of got mad at us almost and kind of yelled as like, you know, something this is gonna mean something to you.
00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:16.000
I mean, he walked out left and flight commander says, Hey guys, he just doesn't understand you.
00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:20.879
He doesn't understand how you're able to be so high performing without looking like the template they created.
00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:26.480
And I will tell you, what you just described, Ty, was exactly the way we were as a unit.
00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:30.320
We were not describable by the way the Air Force measured its performance.
00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:33.840
I love the example, but it brings up two points in my mind.
00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:39.440
One is I think that as leaders, we often have a template of this is how it has to be.
00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:46.320
And we need to allow for that space for people to have some individuality and yet hold standards, right?
00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:49.440
There's measurement that there's metrics that we're trying to get to.
00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:57.919
Number two, the other piece is what our research has found is the old standards of this is how you perform higher.
00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:02.320
You just work harder, you gut it out, like is leading to burnout.
00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:05.120
It's leading to other things that are not sustainable.
00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:10.639
And so finding a little bit better way forward, a more sustainable approach is important too.
00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:11.519
No, thanks.
00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:13.519
Let me ask you a follow-on question.
00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:17.440
You're a leader, you have you're trying to develop this hyperforms team.
00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:21.360
You just talked about three characteristics that help you with a hyperforms team.
00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:26.559
What is something that you can do that will most damage the performance of your team?
00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:28.159
So something that you want to avoid.
00:15:28.399 --> 00:15:31.200
That's an interesting question and a great question.
00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:35.600
I think there's probably a long list that we could come up with of what leaders could do.
00:15:35.759 --> 00:15:41.759
But one of the things that I see most often is that a leader believes they have to be the end-all be-all.
00:15:42.080 --> 00:15:47.360
They have to have all the answers that they have to present with total clarity and confidence.
00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:49.600
And what it gets to is arrogance.
00:15:49.679 --> 00:15:51.759
There's no curiosity, there's no openness.
00:15:52.000 --> 00:16:03.919
And so learning to check your ego at the door and be more authentic and have some curiosity in the way that you lead, allowing your people to participate as partners and not just subordinates.
00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:06.480
I think that that would be the thing that comes to mind first.
00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:08.480
Yeah, I think that's a great way of looking at it.
00:16:08.639 --> 00:16:13.440
You know, Rob and I were talking this morning, a little bit before the show, about micromanagement.
00:16:13.759 --> 00:16:16.799
Sometimes micromanagement feels like the responsible thing.
00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:20.879
You're paying more attention to your team, you're paying more attention to the task.
00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:25.919
And yet, in flying analogies, you grip the stick a little bit harder than you need to.
00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:31.120
You over control it and you actually make the problem worse instead of taking a step back.
00:16:31.279 --> 00:16:35.840
And another example of that is sometimes as a leader, you feel like you always have to share your opinion.
00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:37.600
And sometimes you just need to shut up.
00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:41.919
Sometimes you need to let the team share their own opinions and come up with their own answers.
00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:48.639
And like I remember as an early leader, I've thought, well, I got to stop talking first because if I talk first, nobody else is going to talk.
00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:54.799
And then later on, I realize that sometimes I need to not talk at all, other than say, good job, that sounds great.
00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:58.480
Because once they I give an idea, they're like, Well, that's really what the boss wants.
00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:01.200
Let's change everything we just did and go in his direction.
00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:01.600
Yeah.
00:17:01.840 --> 00:17:02.639
Good insights.
00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:04.000
So micromanagement.
00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:05.519
Micromanagement would be my answer.
00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:05.839
Yeah.
00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:12.640
Micromanagement, which is a lack of trust, is one of the things that I think it kills high performance more than anything.
00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:15.920
I want to change the topic a little bit, but still stay on high performance.
00:17:16.160 --> 00:17:20.880
You have these Ninja Warrior gyms, and you have two sons who participate in Ninja Warrior.
00:17:21.039 --> 00:17:22.000
To me, it's fascinating.
00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:25.200
I think back to when I was a kid and I watched some of the things they do.
00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:27.519
I'm like, I don't think I could have ever done that.
00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:31.279
And yet I know I could have if I had applied myself and I had tried.
00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:34.880
But that leads me to the question, which is why do we sell ourselves short?
00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:38.640
Why do we put personal limits on what we're really capable of?
00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:42.079
You know, I don't know psychologically why we do that.
00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:55.440
But an interesting thing that came out of the research for me is that when you looked at all of the barriers to high performance that statistically showed up in the research, every one of them were self-inflicted.
00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:57.519
So here's what showed up in the research.
00:17:57.680 --> 00:17:59.920
We had fear of failure, right?
00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:04.319
That's something we put on ourselves and we let fear take over and we don't move forward.
00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:07.200
We had taking criticism personally, right?
00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:13.279
Instead of receiving feedback, being open, being curious, trying to get better, we get defensive, it shuts us down.
00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:15.839
Comparison showed up in the research, right?
00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:17.119
We compare ourselves to others.
00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:18.880
Like these are all self-inflicted things.
00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:20.319
And I don't know, we do that.
00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:23.599
I think in many ways we're our own worst enemy in that regard.
00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:30.799
And so, yeah, there is an element of how do we learn how to push past the barriers and the limits we're putting on ourselves.
00:18:31.039 --> 00:18:32.400
Well, I you know I have a question.
00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:37.920
It's interesting, though, when you talk about it, you talk about statistics, because I've seen similar things in the units that I've been involved in.
00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:46.079
And most of the units I was involved in were hand-selected people that were picked for a reason and they had all the attributes that we had asked them to have.
00:18:46.319 --> 00:19:12.960
The biggest question I had when I stood up a brand new unit in New Mexico, and I didn't get to pick the people I had, and I had kind of a snorkel board of folks, and I almost kind of mirrored the statistics that you're talking about because I probably had 60 to 65, maybe 70% of my unit that wanted to be elite and wanted to be part of the solution and had that you know curiosity and confidence and all the other things, but I had 40% of my unit that just didn't.
00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:21.279
And so my struggle and the question I would ask is how do I take that 40% cut if I've got them in my organization?
00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:24.400
How do I help them become part of that elite team?
00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:30.720
Or is the answer merely just to cut them off and build your elite team with people who have the right attributes?
00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:34.559
So I think the answer could be either.
00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:36.400
It depends on the situation, right?
00:19:36.559 --> 00:19:40.480
I think that sometimes there is space where you do need to let somebody go, right?
00:19:40.559 --> 00:19:44.160
They're not a good fit for what you're trying to accomplish or or what you're doing.
00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:47.200
But I also think that as a leader, I believe in growth.
00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:51.200
I believe that people can change, that people have that potential in them.
00:19:51.359 --> 00:19:59.119
And I think as a leader, what our job is, is to create the environment or the right factors for the people to thrive in the best way.
00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:04.319
So interestingly, one of the drivers of high performance is motivation.
00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:08.079
But when we talk about motivation, we're talking about intrinsic motivation, right?
00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:09.759
It can't be extrinsic, right?
00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:13.519
The carrot and the stick just based off of incentives because that's not sustainable.
00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:18.319
But the biggest research study ever done on motivation is called the self-determination theory.
00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:20.720
It was done by two researchers years ago.
00:20:20.880 --> 00:20:28.640
And what they determine is that there's three criteria or three characteristics that build intrinsic motivation.
00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:41.920
So they break down to autonomy, giving people the ownership, some sense of choice, some ability to feel like they have a say or a level of ownership in what they're doing.
00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:51.599
Competency, which is not just skill, but skill combined with experience and confidence so that they can implement that skill, right?
00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:56.240
If we feel like we know what we're doing and we can do it well, that we can win, that's motivating.
00:20:56.400 --> 00:20:58.160
And then third is connectedness.
00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:07.920
So as a leader, I would work on those three things of okay, and I'm a big fan from a leadership perspective of having real conversations with real people, right?
00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:11.759
When there's a struggle to sit down and go, hey, maybe we're seeing this differently.
00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:13.440
Help me understand where you're coming from.
00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:17.839
Because from my perspective, this is what I'm experiencing, and this is where my struggle is.
00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:19.440
Let's sit down and figure this out.
00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:26.960
You know, as you were talking, I was thinking about Rob's earlier example about the square commander who came in and said, someday you guys will think this is important.
00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:33.759
And I think sometimes we try to superimpose our view of success on other people.
00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:37.279
We try to make them fit a specific mold.
00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:44.240
And in an organization, there needs to be a little bit of that, but we can't do it while disregarding what they see as success.
00:21:44.400 --> 00:21:58.400
I've seen this over and over where I had somebody on my team, they were hyper focused on doing well, but not necessarily doing well the way the organization wanted, you know, made it look, or their definition of a successful career was very different.
00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:00.880
You know, like in the Air Force, it's kind of an Up or out system.
00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:04.400
You continue to get promoted and move up the chain, or you're out.
00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:07.440
And while that works in some ways, it doesn't work in any ways.
00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:14.480
Sometimes you want people who are fantastic fighter pots, but want nothing to do with the rest of the Air Force.
00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:16.880
You know, they just want to do their job technically well.
00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:28.000
And I use fighter pot because that's my own background, but there are a lot of other skill sets where somebody just wants to show up for work and be with their team and execute well and then go home.
00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:38.880
And that's just one example where the paradigm of the individual of what success looks like for them doesn't match necessarily the paradigm of the rest of the world and in particular the organization.
00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:50.640
So understanding what they see as success, so you can get the most out of them and they contribute to the team while they're also self-actualizing, I think is a key element of getting high performance out of people.
00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:51.680
Yeah, I agree.
00:22:51.759 --> 00:22:53.519
And finding that intersection, right?
00:22:53.680 --> 00:23:03.119
How do we make it aligned to the point that it can so that they are contributing overall to the team and the overall goals, but have a sense of autonomy in that for sure.
00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:09.440
Yeah, I I've often drawn it up kind of as a vendor diagram of overlapping circles of, you know, what is your vision?
00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:10.400
What is their vision?
00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:12.319
What are the other teammates' visions?
00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:21.039
And the real success comes in that shared vision, that shared area where we're all going same day, same way, even if it's for different reasons.
00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:23.759
And that's where you can get the real success out of your team.
00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:31.680
But trying to find what's their definition of success and high performance is and use that for the team is going to be part of the key.
00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:32.799
Yeah, I like that.
00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:38.640
Tyle, you know, what inspires you to write the book and what inspired you to come up with this current keynote?
00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:41.599
You can re-answer that and then kind of tell us about your upcoming book.
00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:43.440
Why do you think it's so important for the audience?
00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:47.920
I think if you're listening to this, you're probably the kind of person who wants to be better, right?
00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:54.720
Otherwise, why do you hop on and listen to a podcast like this and try and learn from you know great experience and wisdom?
00:23:54.880 --> 00:23:58.559
And so, if that's the case, for me, that's the kind of person I want to be.
00:23:58.720 --> 00:23:59.680
I'm striving to be.
00:23:59.839 --> 00:24:11.839
I think that this book and the research is going to give some really cool insights to hear some things you probably already know and are doing well, but some skills that maybe can go along with it to take that to another level.
00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:17.279
And then here's some insights that maybe you've never thought about that the research brought out that are interesting.
00:24:17.519 --> 00:24:24.240
The cool part that way I wrote this book that's unique is I actually start the book with a fable.
00:24:24.400 --> 00:24:29.519
So there's a short story inside of it, and I end the book with a different fable.
00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:36.559
And then in the middle, you have about 20 chapters of content of all the research that we have done and flushed out.
00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:39.200
But I I'm a big believer in storytelling.
00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:42.720
You can kind of see over my shoulder, I wrote a book called The Power of Storytelling.
00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:47.119
And I think it's fun to see those, the principles play out that way.
00:24:47.279 --> 00:24:48.960
And so I think it'll be entertaining.
00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:49.599
It'll be fun.
00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:52.480
Yeah, the book itself actually launches in May.
00:24:52.640 --> 00:25:00.000
So I think as this is becoming live, you can go to Amazon and find it as pre-order and it'll be on Audible.
00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:03.920
You could go to my website at hybennett.com and grab it there as well.
00:25:04.079 --> 00:25:05.920
But yeah, I I hope you'll check it out.
00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:07.200
I hope you'll enjoy it.
00:25:07.359 --> 00:25:10.880
And I'm proud of the research that we've done and the way this has come together.
00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:14.880
And I think it's gonna help people to uh take their performance to another level.
00:25:15.119 --> 00:25:15.839
I appreciate that.
00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:18.799
And uh I will definitely be buying myself a copy of the book.
00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:21.200
Some of the things you've said today have really piqued my interest.
00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:28.400
I think your ideas are aligned with my ideas, but I think you also have something to teach me and things that I'm gonna be able to pull out of that.
00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:30.960
So I appreciate it and I look forward to the book.
00:25:31.119 --> 00:25:33.039
Rob, do you have any last questions you want to ask?
00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:40.960
Or well, I was just trying to think through, you know, I really liked what you said, you know, about getting to know the people and having that cleared conversation.
00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:46.160
And I found that that's something that people are really, really horrible at, generally speaking.
00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:49.440
I had a boss that we actually had on a podcast earlier.
00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:51.200
I had a boss who was really good at it.
00:25:53.680 --> 00:26:04.160
When he gave me feedback that maybe I wasn't used to hearing, but because of his example, I was able to take that into my own command and have very pointed conversations with people.
00:26:04.319 --> 00:26:10.880
I used to have a policy that we had a rack and stack where I had a list of numbers of all my captains from one to 75.
00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:15.200
I'm gonna tell a guy if he wanted to come in and know where he was on my Rackenstack, I would tell him.
00:26:15.359 --> 00:26:20.960
And then we can have that conversation about why that guy was number 75 or why that guy was number 10 or whenever it was.
00:26:21.119 --> 00:26:33.440
But I found that it generally speaking, I don't know if it's a US culture thing or a human culture thing, we do not like to give people what we would consider maybe negative or bad criticism or critique or advice.
00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:42.880
How do you help a leader that may be struggling with that have those real sincere conversations with one of their subordinates that may not be living up to the standard?
00:26:43.119 --> 00:26:43.359
Yeah.
00:26:43.599 --> 00:26:44.880
I think it's a great question.
00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:52.160
There's actually a whole chapter in the book on feedback because one of the barriers is taking criticism personally, right?
00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:54.720
We all struggle to both give and receive feedback.
00:26:54.799 --> 00:26:58.559
And so I look at it from both directions, but it also comes into play.
00:26:58.720 --> 00:27:05.680
The biggest reason that leaders hesitate to do that is because of the fear of failure, because we fear the repercussions.
00:27:05.839 --> 00:27:08.559
We don't want it to cause an issue, cause a rift.
00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:09.839
It's not going to be received well.
00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:11.599
They're not going to like me, right?
00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:13.599
There's some fear that comes up in that.
00:27:13.759 --> 00:27:20.720
So, one, there is an element of like having a little bit of courage and pulling the band-aid off to be able to just be willing to try it and do it.
00:27:20.880 --> 00:27:23.279
But I think there's some skills in learning how to do it.
00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:26.319
So lead with belief in that person.
00:27:26.720 --> 00:27:33.920
The only reason you would be giving feedback is because you actually have belief that their potential is greater than this behavior.
00:27:34.079 --> 00:27:38.319
But also specifically giving that feedback to behavior, not identity.
00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:43.440
You're not a bad person, but I noticed that when you do this skill, this is not working.
00:27:43.759 --> 00:27:45.519
Let's talk about that in particular.
00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:46.720
How do we make that better?
00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:51.759
And even just the clarifying opening that question of are open to some feedback.
00:27:51.839 --> 00:27:54.960
I've observed something I want to share that I think can help you, right?
00:27:55.119 --> 00:28:02.240
So some of those, there's some little nuances and skills that can be learned, but I also think what really holds us back is fear.
00:28:02.400 --> 00:28:05.039
And so being willing to step through that fear a little bit.
00:28:05.359 --> 00:28:06.079
That's perfect, man.
00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:06.480
Thank you.
00:28:06.559 --> 00:28:10.240
Because I think that's a skill that everybody needs on both sides, right?
00:28:10.319 --> 00:28:14.559
To take the critique, but also to be able to give honest feedback and honest critique.
00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:19.440
I think if we got to that point, more teams would rise to that elite level than not.
00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:20.160
Yeah, I agree.
00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:22.000
I like what you said earlier, Ty, about that.
00:28:22.079 --> 00:28:27.200
It's not a personal criticism, it is feedback of behavior, it's feedback of results.
00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:30.319
And as long as you, I think as a leader, that makes it a lot easier.
00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:34.160
It makes it less personal, is if you focus on, well, what was the objective?
00:28:34.319 --> 00:28:35.279
What were we trying to do?
00:28:35.440 --> 00:28:37.039
What was your job description?
00:28:37.200 --> 00:28:40.319
And how are you doing in relation to that job description?
00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:42.480
You don't want to criticize them personally.
00:28:42.640 --> 00:28:49.200
You want to provide feedback to help them be better at that particular behavior so that they can become a more high-performing individual.
00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:56.400
Well, and I like what you said, Ty, about how you're you wouldn't be giving feedback somebody you didn't think had higher potential than what they were showing.
00:28:56.559 --> 00:28:58.799
And I will say that I think that's the key.
00:28:59.039 --> 00:29:09.119
The key is that people need to know that you care about them and that you really are trying to get them to be the best, whatever it is, you know, best pilot, best leader, best salesman.
00:29:09.279 --> 00:29:10.240
Because that's a key.
00:29:10.400 --> 00:29:15.440
Once I understood the critique I was receiving was because my boss thought I could be better.
00:29:15.680 --> 00:29:19.200
And once I learned how to give that to other people, I think it was received in the right way.
00:29:19.359 --> 00:29:23.599
I think that really is the key, is that and it comes back to a thing that Derek's talked about over and over.
00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:24.640
It's really about trust.
00:29:24.799 --> 00:29:29.599
How do you create trust between a leader and a follower so that you will trust the words that they give you one way or the other?
00:29:29.680 --> 00:29:36.000
But no, I think that was the key, is knowing that you're really doing it because you see them or you see them as well, or more potential.
00:29:36.160 --> 00:29:36.640
So cool.
00:29:36.799 --> 00:29:37.759
Yeah, awesome.
00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:39.119
I appreciate the conversation.
00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:39.839
This has been fun.
00:29:39.920 --> 00:29:41.039
No, I I appreciate it also.
00:29:41.200 --> 00:29:43.920
I've learned something, and like I said, I'm excited to read the book.
00:29:44.160 --> 00:29:56.079
So if you haven't gone to Amazon to look for his book, go ahead and pre-buy the book or go to his website and buy his book to learn about becoming a high performance leader and a high performance team player or team member.
00:29:56.240 --> 00:29:59.440
And I think you will all enjoy it and you'll appreciate it.
00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:01.200
Ty is a great storyteller.
00:30:01.519 --> 00:30:02.799
He knows what he's talking about.
00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:07.519
He's led a lot of businesses and done very well with him because he practiced what he preaches.
00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:17.759
If you have any other questions about Ty's show and Ty's speaking and his writing, then you can reach out directly to him or go to AskDerknow.com and I will connect the two of you.
00:30:17.920 --> 00:30:25.519
If you have any questions about the show, if there is anything that you want uh us to talk about, then please go to the show, go to that website, and we'll have a direct conversation.
00:30:25.680 --> 00:30:32.079
Thanks for joining us for another episode of Commander's Intent, and together we'll continue to become better decision makers for better results.
00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:32.559
Thanks.
00:30:32.720 --> 00:30:33.920
Thanks, guys.
00:30:36.079 --> 00:30:39.680
So that's it for today's episode of Commander's Intent Podcast.
00:30:39.839 --> 00:30:44.960
Head on over to Apple Podcasts iTunes or wherever you listen and subscribe to the show.
00:30:45.200 --> 00:30:59.359
One lucky listener every single week that posts a review on Apple Podcasts or iTunes will be entered in a grand prize drawing to win a$25,000 private, exclusive leadership coaching package with Derek Oakes himself.
00:30:59.519 --> 00:31:08.559
So head on over to Commanders Intent Podcast.com and pick up a free copy of Derek's Leadership Guide and join us on the next episode.
00:00:01.679 --> 00:00:05.759
Have you ever frozen in the key moment of making a critical decision?
00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:09.679
Whether it's in business or in life, it can cost you everything.
00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:14.960
Commander's Intent will teach and inspire you how to lead with clarity, courage, and purpose.
00:00:15.199 --> 00:00:22.640
So here's your host, retired Air Force Colonel, fighter pilot, and your leadership mentor, Derek Oaks.
00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:29.760
Hello, I'm Derek Oaks and welcome again to another episode of Commander's Intent.
00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:44.880
Rob and I are here to talk to a friend of mine who is a keynote speaker and an author and an owner of multiple businesses in I think it's supply chain and gym and who knows what else, but I'll let Ty introduce himself here in a second.
00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:49.679
We have uh Ty Bennett with us, and I'm gonna turn the time over to you, Ty, to just do a quick introduction.
00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:51.200
Well, thanks for having me.
00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:51.920
I appreciate it.
00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:54.960
Good, always good to talk, leadership and high performance.
00:00:55.119 --> 00:00:58.320
And I'd love to learn from you too as well with your experience.
00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:00.640
And so my background is as an entrepreneur.
00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:04.319
I've built and sold a few different businesses in a couple of different industries.
00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:10.480
But over the last 16 years, the main thing that I've been doing is giving speeches and writing books.
00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:20.480
And so I think today we're gonna dive into my newest book that actually is just about to come out called Redefining High Performance and hopefully flesh out some of the ideas there.
00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:24.799
But yeah, I love conversations like this that we can dive deeper into things that move the needle.
00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:25.519
Okay, great.
00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:30.719
Yeah, and a little bit about my background and Rob's background to kind of set the stage why this interests us so much.
00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:33.280
I was in a fighter squadron for many, many years.
00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:40.159
I was a fighter squadron commander, then a fighter group commander where I had a lot of type A, very high achieving individuals.
00:01:40.239 --> 00:01:47.840
You know, if you make it to a fighter squadron, chances are in your pilot training class of 20 to 40 students, you're in the top 20%.
00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:57.359
And then you go to a fighter squadron, and there's always a fight, you know, there's always a healthy competition of who's the best fighter pilot, who is the best flight lead.
00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:04.799
And so in my leadership roles, most of the people I worked with, they were high performers, but I still had to get more out of them.
00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:12.719
You know, I'm entrusting them with a multi-million dollar piece of equipment every time they step to the jet, and I'm entrusting them with decisions about life or death.
00:02:12.879 --> 00:02:14.000
And so that was really important.
00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:33.120
And then, you know, Rob's very similar, you know, working in special operations, he had individuals that were representing the United States of America in the middle of nowhere, where they're forced to make decisions and then act in a way that didn't embarrass us, that executed the mission and were high performing at every step along the way.
00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:38.479
And so, how do you get that out of people all the time, besides some people naturally being that way?
00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:40.400
How do you get high performance out of your entire team?
00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:43.360
So, why don't you tell us a little bit about how you got to this point?
00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:46.240
Why would you want to write a book about high performance?
00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:47.520
Everybody wants high performance.
00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:49.680
What was it that so drew you to this idea?
00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:58.719
Yeah, so I like you, you know, ambitious as somebody who likes to achieve and is driven to go after things.
00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:03.039
And I've done that in multiple areas and speak to a lot of leaders and salespeople.
00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:07.759
And so I'm around and speaking to a lot of these people who are high performers.
00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:17.599
But I was curious, the other side of that too is in my personal life, I have five kids, but two of my boys got involved in the sport American Ninja Warrior.
00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:25.759
If you've seen the show, they were on the show, compete nationally, both nationally ranked, and performing athletically at a very high level.
00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:30.719
And so a lot of our conversations centered around these principles of high performance.
00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:33.520
How do they take their athletic performance to another level?
00:03:33.599 --> 00:03:36.719
And I'm talking to leaders and salespeople about the same kind of things.
00:03:36.960 --> 00:03:44.960
And so at some point, I started to really like analyze it and say, okay, what are the key drivers?
00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:45.919
What are these things?
00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:54.560
And that led us down the road to partnering with a research firm and building out and conducting a national research study on high performance.
00:03:54.800 --> 00:04:00.240
So I think we can all observe things and say, okay, this is what I think that high performance comes down to.
00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:02.240
But I wanted to do some research around it.
00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:05.199
And I think the insights that came out of it were great.
00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:09.840
They gave me an understanding and not just some of them were confirming, right?
00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:20.720
Some were surprising, but ultimately putting some statistics around like these are the drivers, these are the barriers to high performance, these are some of the mindsets that came out of the research.
00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:31.600
And it helped me to understand it at a more granular level so that we could talk about it in a deeper way and hopefully help people to understand maybe some of those missing pieces that they aren't implementing.
00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:32.319
Oh, thanks.
00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:34.000
It's it's fascinating to me.
00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:35.519
I had a couple of questions.
00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:39.279
Actually, my first question is gonna be what was the most surprising thing you found?
00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:44.000
You talked about how some things were you already knew it, some put data behind what you already thought.
00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:47.040
But was there anything really surprising about what you found?
00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:53.040
You know, there's some interesting statistics that you would just think, like, I mean, that just came out of the research.
00:04:53.199 --> 00:05:05.839
Some that are, well, here's one 54% of people, so basically half of working America, said they would actually take less money to work in an organization that helps them to perform better.
00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:07.279
That was surprising to me.
00:05:07.360 --> 00:05:09.360
Like that you would actually say, okay, you know what?
00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:22.079
My personal growth, my own abilities, and having a team and support and leaders around me that are going to make me better, that's worth more to me than maybe a race, right?
00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:23.199
Like that's a driver.
00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:25.120
So that was an interesting statistic.
00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:28.879
76% of people said you don't need a college education to be high performing.
00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:34.879
That was just kind of an interesting phenomena throwaway number that was like, yeah, that's probably true in our world today.
00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:39.439
Obviously, there's degrees are going to be needed for certain, depending on what route you go.
00:05:39.680 --> 00:05:53.839
But one statistic that I found really interesting that created clarity on certain things is when we looked at the barriers to high performance, the number one barrier to high performance that came back, according to the research, was the fear of failure.
00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:58.240
And I think universally we all face that in some way, shape, or form, right?
00:05:58.319 --> 00:05:59.120
That shows up for us.
00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:01.519
But here was the statistic that I thought was interesting.
00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:06.800
We asked people how important or like how do you see failure?
00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:08.800
Is it important to embrace failure?
00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:15.360
And in the research, 76% of the people, 75% of the people said yes, it's very important to embrace failure.
00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:18.399
Then we asked those same people, how often do you do it?
00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:20.399
And that dropped down to 40%.
00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:25.439
And in research, that's what you call a performance gap, right?
00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:29.360
The difference between what we know we should do and what we actually do.
00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:32.399
And the easiest way to raise performance is to close that gap.
00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:37.920
And so there were some things like that, some stats that stood out that went, there's a missing link here, right?
00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:48.000
There's things that logically we say yes, but emotionally we can't move ourselves to do, like embracing failure the way that we need to to be able to move forward or different things like that.
00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:51.600
Yeah, there was a lot of the data that was very fascinating to me.
00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:52.639
That is really fascinating.
00:06:52.720 --> 00:06:54.560
I want to go back to the first stat that you threw out there.
00:06:54.720 --> 00:07:01.759
54% of the people will take an environment that pays them less money but allows them to achieve at a higher level.
00:07:01.920 --> 00:07:03.519
We saw that a lot in the military.
00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:15.120
You would have these young airmen, they're literally at the poverty line with three kids at home and a wife who's not working because she's taking care of those three kids and daycare is more expensive.
00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:32.480
And yet they're gone six months a year and they're doing very hard jobs, and a lot is asked of them, and yet they love it, and they wouldn't give it up for anything because they love the challenge of being pushed and the challenge of being able to exceed expectations.
00:07:32.639 --> 00:07:46.639
You know, a lot of them were kids who didn't graduate from college, they went through their military training and they were given the keys to the kingdom and given a lot of responsibility, and they loved the chance to excel and overachieve.
00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:49.439
And so I saw exactly that over and over.
00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:54.480
I would even think that number is higher if you give people an example of what that looks like.
00:07:55.199 --> 00:07:57.439
Because I think people love that kind of an environment.
00:07:57.519 --> 00:07:58.879
But you need enough money to go ahead.
00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:06.480
No, I was gonna say one thing that is interesting about the military in particular is there's real clarity on purpose, right?
00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:11.360
Underlying to sustain high performance, purpose has to be there.
00:08:11.600 --> 00:08:14.800
We have to have a sense of something bigger than ourselves.
00:08:14.879 --> 00:08:26.000
And so, yeah, I would think within the military structure, those numbers would be inflated tremendously because you have a real vision and clarity on what the purpose is and why you're there.
00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:26.639
Yeah.
00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:28.160
I hear that over and over again.
00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:31.439
Kids get into the military and they don't know what their why is.
00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:34.960
They don't know what I am doing on this earth in the first place.
00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:36.879
They're kind of meandering through school.
00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:38.799
They were C students at best.
00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:45.440
They get in and they get into a career film, they go, I actually I'm a member of an important team and I'm doing something that's worthwhile.
00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:52.000
And they excel well beyond the expectations of all their buddies from high school and even their parents because they have that purpose.
00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:53.200
Yeah, that's beautiful.
00:08:53.440 --> 00:08:58.240
With those kind of statistics, how has it made you change when you think about leadership?
00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:12.399
Like what is your you don't have to give me the punchline of the book and reveal everything, but what is your conclusion of how, as leaders, you get the most out of your team and you create an environment where they're gonna excel and gonna be high performing team members.
00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:16.320
Yeah, so I think we could take that question in a couple of different directions.
00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:24.000
The way I break down the book based off the research is we have identified five key drivers of high performance.
00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:27.440
We've identified three key barriers to high performance.
00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:31.600
And then out of the research, there's three mindsets that really came out of it.
00:09:31.759 --> 00:09:43.519
And so to answer this question, I maybe I'm gonna focus on those three mindsets because these are kind of a practice way of being that if leaders can embrace it, what it creates is the best environment for their people.
00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:50.720
So the three mindsets are these: they're confident curiosity, a relaxed intensity, and empathic drive.
00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:52.720
So I can break those down just a little bit.
00:09:52.879 --> 00:10:04.000
Confident curiosity means that you are confident, you have a sense of confidence to move forward, to take action, but you still remain open, you still remain curious.
00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:12.240
You don't skew too far in the confidence to arrogance to where you have it all figured out and nobody else has an idea that's worth taking, right?
00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:21.679
And therefore you create openness within your team and you adjust when needed, but you still need that confidence to be moved forward.
00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:28.240
A relaxed intensity is drive with a calmness, right?
00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:29.360
It's poise.
00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:36.720
How do you go into battle as a leader and still maintain your decision-making ability?
00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:43.200
How do you not create frantic anxiety within your team when you're dealing under pressure?
00:10:43.360 --> 00:10:49.679
And then an empathic drive is a leader that's driven for results, but doesn't forget about relationships, right?
00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:55.279
Because connection is one of those drivers within an organization that really drives high performance.
00:10:55.440 --> 00:10:59.440
And so it's not about lowering standards, it's actually about raising connection.
00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:08.799
But for type A leaders, who most people fall into that realm, it's often that we go after results and sometimes the relationships get pushed to the side.
00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:11.120
And so it's finding a balance in those things.
00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:27.039
Those three mindsets and balances, I think for me, is something that I'm constantly trying to look at in terms of how I'm leading, how I'm showing up, because I'm trying to create the best environment for my people, for my team to be able to perform at the highest level, too.
00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:28.320
I want to touch on one of those.
00:11:28.559 --> 00:11:29.200
How do you say it?
00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:30.559
The confidence with calmness.
00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:31.279
Did I say that yet?
00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:35.759
Yeah, relaxed, uh, relaxed intensity or confident curiosity.
00:11:36.159 --> 00:11:36.799
Yeah, relaxed intensity.
00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:37.600
Okay, either way.
00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:38.399
Confident curiosity.
00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:39.039
That's what it is.
00:11:39.120 --> 00:11:47.279
Uh in what one of Tom Clancy's books, Zach Ryan is being described and by another character in the book, and they said he's a cool man in a storm.
00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:48.799
Like I I love that.
00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:51.360
Am I a cool man in a storm?
00:11:51.519 --> 00:11:57.279
When I'm uh standing in front of the team, do they feel a hurriedness about me?
00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:00.799
Do they feel anxiety when they're watching me speak?
00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:08.480
Or do I inspire confidence and do I inspire relaxation while still driving with a purpose?
00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:10.559
And that's a hard thing to do.
00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:13.759
That's a hard characteristic, I think, to develop.
00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:14.799
Yeah, I agree.
00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:18.080
But I think there's practices that can help get you there.
00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:28.080
I think some people are going to be a little bit more natural at it than others, but I think that there are some skills that you can apply to be able to manage that better as a leader.
00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:28.799
I hope so.
00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:33.679
Because it's not a skill that many people have, and yet it's I agree with you, it is very needed.
00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:34.960
Well, it's interesting.
00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:42.720
When you were talking about the relaxed intensity and the confident curiosity, I agree wholeheartedly that one anecdote that I have.
00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:54.159
But when I went to Air Command of Staff College, which is kind of our mid-level leadership school, they had a template for how they think that the most high performing groups look which flight they think is going to be high performing.
00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:57.039
And I'll never forget my flight commander on day one.
00:12:57.120 --> 00:13:00.639
She went home and told her husband, because man, I think I have a dead last flight.
00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:04.480
She thought we were all duds because we were supposed to set goals.
00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:10.399
And our goal for the entire group we all connect with was don't suck and don't be the weakest link.
00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:13.120
And she thought, Oh my goodness, these guys don't care.
00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:20.320
Well, when all was said and done, six or eight weeks later, at the end of the school, we were the number one flight in the school by so many points.
00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:24.799
We'd got to take them to zero on the last graded exam and still worn.
00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:32.639
And part of that was because we were so relaxed, we were confident in our own abilities, and everybody just said, take care of your own stuff, make it happen.
00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:40.720
And it was amazing how much we got done and how well the whole team performed just by taking care of their own business.
00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:50.639
But I also was amazed by how misunderstood we were by the leadership of that school when we won the Chief of Staff Trophy and we're in our flight room and we're celebrating.
00:13:50.720 --> 00:14:02.480
The squadron commander comes in afterwards, and we were not the typical, we were not marching formation and hooting and all, and we weren't demonstratively showing that we were this super confident, tight-knit group.
00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:04.879
We just were, and we all understood that.
00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:11.919
And when he walked into our room, he kind of got mad at us almost and kind of yelled as like, you know, something this is gonna mean something to you.
00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:16.000
I mean, he walked out left and flight commander says, Hey guys, he just doesn't understand you.
00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:20.879
He doesn't understand how you're able to be so high performing without looking like the template they created.
00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:26.480
And I will tell you, what you just described, Ty, was exactly the way we were as a unit.
00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:30.320
We were not describable by the way the Air Force measured its performance.
00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:33.840
I love the example, but it brings up two points in my mind.
00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:39.440
One is I think that as leaders, we often have a template of this is how it has to be.
00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:46.320
And we need to allow for that space for people to have some individuality and yet hold standards, right?
00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:49.440
There's measurement that there's metrics that we're trying to get to.
00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:57.919
Number two, the other piece is what our research has found is the old standards of this is how you perform higher.
00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:02.320
You just work harder, you gut it out, like is leading to burnout.
00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:05.120
It's leading to other things that are not sustainable.
00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:10.639
And so finding a little bit better way forward, a more sustainable approach is important too.
00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:11.519
No, thanks.
00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:13.519
Let me ask you a follow-on question.
00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:17.440
You're a leader, you have you're trying to develop this hyperforms team.
00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:21.360
You just talked about three characteristics that help you with a hyperforms team.
00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:26.559
What is something that you can do that will most damage the performance of your team?
00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:28.159
So something that you want to avoid.
00:15:28.399 --> 00:15:31.200
That's an interesting question and a great question.
00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:35.600
I think there's probably a long list that we could come up with of what leaders could do.
00:15:35.759 --> 00:15:41.759
But one of the things that I see most often is that a leader believes they have to be the end-all be-all.
00:15:42.080 --> 00:15:47.360
They have to have all the answers that they have to present with total clarity and confidence.
00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:49.600
And what it gets to is arrogance.
00:15:49.679 --> 00:15:51.759
There's no curiosity, there's no openness.
00:15:52.000 --> 00:16:03.919
And so learning to check your ego at the door and be more authentic and have some curiosity in the way that you lead, allowing your people to participate as partners and not just subordinates.
00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:06.480
I think that that would be the thing that comes to mind first.
00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:08.480
Yeah, I think that's a great way of looking at it.
00:16:08.639 --> 00:16:13.440
You know, Rob and I were talking this morning, a little bit before the show, about micromanagement.
00:16:13.759 --> 00:16:16.799
Sometimes micromanagement feels like the responsible thing.
00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:20.879
You're paying more attention to your team, you're paying more attention to the task.
00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:25.919
And yet, in flying analogies, you grip the stick a little bit harder than you need to.
00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:31.120
You over control it and you actually make the problem worse instead of taking a step back.
00:16:31.279 --> 00:16:35.840
And another example of that is sometimes as a leader, you feel like you always have to share your opinion.
00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:37.600
And sometimes you just need to shut up.
00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:41.919
Sometimes you need to let the team share their own opinions and come up with their own answers.
00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:48.639
And like I remember as an early leader, I've thought, well, I got to stop talking first because if I talk first, nobody else is going to talk.
00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:54.799
And then later on, I realize that sometimes I need to not talk at all, other than say, good job, that sounds great.
00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:58.480
Because once they I give an idea, they're like, Well, that's really what the boss wants.
00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:01.200
Let's change everything we just did and go in his direction.
00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:01.600
Yeah.
00:17:01.840 --> 00:17:02.639
Good insights.
00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:04.000
So micromanagement.
00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:05.519
Micromanagement would be my answer.
00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:05.839
Yeah.
00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:12.640
Micromanagement, which is a lack of trust, is one of the things that I think it kills high performance more than anything.
00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:15.920
I want to change the topic a little bit, but still stay on high performance.
00:17:16.160 --> 00:17:20.880
You have these Ninja Warrior gyms, and you have two sons who participate in Ninja Warrior.
00:17:21.039 --> 00:17:22.000
To me, it's fascinating.
00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:25.200
I think back to when I was a kid and I watched some of the things they do.
00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:27.519
I'm like, I don't think I could have ever done that.
00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:31.279
And yet I know I could have if I had applied myself and I had tried.
00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:34.880
But that leads me to the question, which is why do we sell ourselves short?
00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:38.640
Why do we put personal limits on what we're really capable of?
00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:42.079
You know, I don't know psychologically why we do that.
00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:55.440
But an interesting thing that came out of the research for me is that when you looked at all of the barriers to high performance that statistically showed up in the research, every one of them were self-inflicted.
00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:57.519
So here's what showed up in the research.
00:17:57.680 --> 00:17:59.920
We had fear of failure, right?
00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:04.319
That's something we put on ourselves and we let fear take over and we don't move forward.
00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:07.200
We had taking criticism personally, right?
00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:13.279
Instead of receiving feedback, being open, being curious, trying to get better, we get defensive, it shuts us down.
00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:15.839
Comparison showed up in the research, right?
00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:17.119
We compare ourselves to others.
00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:18.880
Like these are all self-inflicted things.
00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:20.319
And I don't know, we do that.
00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:23.599
I think in many ways we're our own worst enemy in that regard.
00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:30.799
And so, yeah, there is an element of how do we learn how to push past the barriers and the limits we're putting on ourselves.
00:18:31.039 --> 00:18:32.400
Well, I you know I have a question.
00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:37.920
It's interesting, though, when you talk about it, you talk about statistics, because I've seen similar things in the units that I've been involved in.
00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:46.079
And most of the units I was involved in were hand-selected people that were picked for a reason and they had all the attributes that we had asked them to have.
00:18:46.319 --> 00:19:12.960
The biggest question I had when I stood up a brand new unit in New Mexico, and I didn't get to pick the people I had, and I had kind of a snorkel board of folks, and I almost kind of mirrored the statistics that you're talking about because I probably had 60 to 65, maybe 70% of my unit that wanted to be elite and wanted to be part of the solution and had that you know curiosity and confidence and all the other things, but I had 40% of my unit that just didn't.
00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:21.279
And so my struggle and the question I would ask is how do I take that 40% cut if I've got them in my organization?
00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:24.400
How do I help them become part of that elite team?
00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:30.720
Or is the answer merely just to cut them off and build your elite team with people who have the right attributes?
00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:34.559
So I think the answer could be either.
00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:36.400
It depends on the situation, right?
00:19:36.559 --> 00:19:40.480
I think that sometimes there is space where you do need to let somebody go, right?
00:19:40.559 --> 00:19:44.160
They're not a good fit for what you're trying to accomplish or or what you're doing.
00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:47.200
But I also think that as a leader, I believe in growth.
00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:51.200
I believe that people can change, that people have that potential in them.
00:19:51.359 --> 00:19:59.119
And I think as a leader, what our job is, is to create the environment or the right factors for the people to thrive in the best way.
00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:04.319
So interestingly, one of the drivers of high performance is motivation.
00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:08.079
But when we talk about motivation, we're talking about intrinsic motivation, right?
00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:09.759
It can't be extrinsic, right?
00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:13.519
The carrot and the stick just based off of incentives because that's not sustainable.
00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:18.319
But the biggest research study ever done on motivation is called the self-determination theory.
00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:20.720
It was done by two researchers years ago.
00:20:20.880 --> 00:20:28.640
And what they determine is that there's three criteria or three characteristics that build intrinsic motivation.
00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:41.920
So they break down to autonomy, giving people the ownership, some sense of choice, some ability to feel like they have a say or a level of ownership in what they're doing.
00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:51.599
Competency, which is not just skill, but skill combined with experience and confidence so that they can implement that skill, right?
00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:56.240
If we feel like we know what we're doing and we can do it well, that we can win, that's motivating.
00:20:56.400 --> 00:20:58.160
And then third is connectedness.
00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:07.920
So as a leader, I would work on those three things of okay, and I'm a big fan from a leadership perspective of having real conversations with real people, right?
00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:11.759
When there's a struggle to sit down and go, hey, maybe we're seeing this differently.
00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:13.440
Help me understand where you're coming from.
00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:17.839
Because from my perspective, this is what I'm experiencing, and this is where my struggle is.
00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:19.440
Let's sit down and figure this out.
00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:26.960
You know, as you were talking, I was thinking about Rob's earlier example about the square commander who came in and said, someday you guys will think this is important.
00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:33.759
And I think sometimes we try to superimpose our view of success on other people.
00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:37.279
We try to make them fit a specific mold.
00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:44.240
And in an organization, there needs to be a little bit of that, but we can't do it while disregarding what they see as success.
00:21:44.400 --> 00:21:58.400
I've seen this over and over where I had somebody on my team, they were hyper focused on doing well, but not necessarily doing well the way the organization wanted, you know, made it look, or their definition of a successful career was very different.
00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:00.880
You know, like in the Air Force, it's kind of an Up or out system.
00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:04.400
You continue to get promoted and move up the chain, or you're out.
00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:07.440
And while that works in some ways, it doesn't work in any ways.
00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:14.480
Sometimes you want people who are fantastic fighter pots, but want nothing to do with the rest of the Air Force.
00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:16.880
You know, they just want to do their job technically well.
00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:28.000
And I use fighter pot because that's my own background, but there are a lot of other skill sets where somebody just wants to show up for work and be with their team and execute well and then go home.
00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:38.880
And that's just one example where the paradigm of the individual of what success looks like for them doesn't match necessarily the paradigm of the rest of the world and in particular the organization.
00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:50.640
So understanding what they see as success, so you can get the most out of them and they contribute to the team while they're also self-actualizing, I think is a key element of getting high performance out of people.
00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:51.680
Yeah, I agree.
00:22:51.759 --> 00:22:53.519
And finding that intersection, right?
00:22:53.680 --> 00:23:03.119
How do we make it aligned to the point that it can so that they are contributing overall to the team and the overall goals, but have a sense of autonomy in that for sure.
00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:09.440
Yeah, I I've often drawn it up kind of as a vendor diagram of overlapping circles of, you know, what is your vision?
00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:10.400
What is their vision?
00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:12.319
What are the other teammates' visions?
00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:21.039
And the real success comes in that shared vision, that shared area where we're all going same day, same way, even if it's for different reasons.
00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:23.759
And that's where you can get the real success out of your team.
00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:31.680
But trying to find what's their definition of success and high performance is and use that for the team is going to be part of the key.
00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:32.799
Yeah, I like that.
00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:38.640
Tyle, you know, what inspires you to write the book and what inspired you to come up with this current keynote?
00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:41.599
You can re-answer that and then kind of tell us about your upcoming book.
00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:43.440
Why do you think it's so important for the audience?
00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:47.920
I think if you're listening to this, you're probably the kind of person who wants to be better, right?
00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:54.720
Otherwise, why do you hop on and listen to a podcast like this and try and learn from you know great experience and wisdom?
00:23:54.880 --> 00:23:58.559
And so, if that's the case, for me, that's the kind of person I want to be.
00:23:58.720 --> 00:23:59.680
I'm striving to be.
00:23:59.839 --> 00:24:11.839
I think that this book and the research is going to give some really cool insights to hear some things you probably already know and are doing well, but some skills that maybe can go along with it to take that to another level.
00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:17.279
And then here's some insights that maybe you've never thought about that the research brought out that are interesting.
00:24:17.519 --> 00:24:24.240
The cool part that way I wrote this book that's unique is I actually start the book with a fable.
00:24:24.400 --> 00:24:29.519
So there's a short story inside of it, and I end the book with a different fable.
00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:36.559
And then in the middle, you have about 20 chapters of content of all the research that we have done and flushed out.
00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:39.200
But I I'm a big believer in storytelling.
00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:42.720
You can kind of see over my shoulder, I wrote a book called The Power of Storytelling.
00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:47.119
And I think it's fun to see those, the principles play out that way.
00:24:47.279 --> 00:24:48.960
And so I think it'll be entertaining.
00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:49.599
It'll be fun.
00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:52.480
Yeah, the book itself actually launches in May.
00:24:52.640 --> 00:25:00.000
So I think as this is becoming live, you can go to Amazon and find it as pre-order and it'll be on Audible.
00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:03.920
You could go to my website at hybennett.com and grab it there as well.
00:25:04.079 --> 00:25:05.920
But yeah, I I hope you'll check it out.
00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:07.200
I hope you'll enjoy it.
00:25:07.359 --> 00:25:10.880
And I'm proud of the research that we've done and the way this has come together.
00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:14.880
And I think it's gonna help people to uh take their performance to another level.
00:25:15.119 --> 00:25:15.839
I appreciate that.
00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:18.799
And uh I will definitely be buying myself a copy of the book.
00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:21.200
Some of the things you've said today have really piqued my interest.
00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:28.400
I think your ideas are aligned with my ideas, but I think you also have something to teach me and things that I'm gonna be able to pull out of that.
00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:30.960
So I appreciate it and I look forward to the book.
00:25:31.119 --> 00:25:33.039
Rob, do you have any last questions you want to ask?
00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:40.960
Or well, I was just trying to think through, you know, I really liked what you said, you know, about getting to know the people and having that cleared conversation.
00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:46.160
And I found that that's something that people are really, really horrible at, generally speaking.
00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:49.440
I had a boss that we actually had on a podcast earlier.
00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:51.200
I had a boss who was really good at it.
00:25:53.680 --> 00:26:04.160
When he gave me feedback that maybe I wasn't used to hearing, but because of his example, I was able to take that into my own command and have very pointed conversations with people.
00:26:04.319 --> 00:26:10.880
I used to have a policy that we had a rack and stack where I had a list of numbers of all my captains from one to 75.
00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:15.200
I'm gonna tell a guy if he wanted to come in and know where he was on my Rackenstack, I would tell him.
00:26:15.359 --> 00:26:20.960
And then we can have that conversation about why that guy was number 75 or why that guy was number 10 or whenever it was.
00:26:21.119 --> 00:26:33.440
But I found that it generally speaking, I don't know if it's a US culture thing or a human culture thing, we do not like to give people what we would consider maybe negative or bad criticism or critique or advice.
00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:42.880
How do you help a leader that may be struggling with that have those real sincere conversations with one of their subordinates that may not be living up to the standard?
00:26:43.119 --> 00:26:43.359
Yeah.
00:26:43.599 --> 00:26:44.880
I think it's a great question.
00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:52.160
There's actually a whole chapter in the book on feedback because one of the barriers is taking criticism personally, right?
00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:54.720
We all struggle to both give and receive feedback.
00:26:54.799 --> 00:26:58.559
And so I look at it from both directions, but it also comes into play.
00:26:58.720 --> 00:27:05.680
The biggest reason that leaders hesitate to do that is because of the fear of failure, because we fear the repercussions.
00:27:05.839 --> 00:27:08.559
We don't want it to cause an issue, cause a rift.
00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:09.839
It's not going to be received well.
00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:11.599
They're not going to like me, right?
00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:13.599
There's some fear that comes up in that.
00:27:13.759 --> 00:27:20.720
So, one, there is an element of like having a little bit of courage and pulling the band-aid off to be able to just be willing to try it and do it.
00:27:20.880 --> 00:27:23.279
But I think there's some skills in learning how to do it.
00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:26.319
So lead with belief in that person.
00:27:26.720 --> 00:27:33.920
The only reason you would be giving feedback is because you actually have belief that their potential is greater than this behavior.
00:27:34.079 --> 00:27:38.319
But also specifically giving that feedback to behavior, not identity.
00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:43.440
You're not a bad person, but I noticed that when you do this skill, this is not working.
00:27:43.759 --> 00:27:45.519
Let's talk about that in particular.
00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:46.720
How do we make that better?
00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:51.759
And even just the clarifying opening that question of are open to some feedback.
00:27:51.839 --> 00:27:54.960
I've observed something I want to share that I think can help you, right?
00:27:55.119 --> 00:28:02.240
So some of those, there's some little nuances and skills that can be learned, but I also think what really holds us back is fear.
00:28:02.400 --> 00:28:05.039
And so being willing to step through that fear a little bit.
00:28:05.359 --> 00:28:06.079
That's perfect, man.
00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:06.480
Thank you.
00:28:06.559 --> 00:28:10.240
Because I think that's a skill that everybody needs on both sides, right?
00:28:10.319 --> 00:28:14.559
To take the critique, but also to be able to give honest feedback and honest critique.
00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:19.440
I think if we got to that point, more teams would rise to that elite level than not.
00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:20.160
Yeah, I agree.
00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:22.000
I like what you said earlier, Ty, about that.
00:28:22.079 --> 00:28:27.200
It's not a personal criticism, it is feedback of behavior, it's feedback of results.
00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:30.319
And as long as you, I think as a leader, that makes it a lot easier.
00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:34.160
It makes it less personal, is if you focus on, well, what was the objective?
00:28:34.319 --> 00:28:35.279
What were we trying to do?
00:28:35.440 --> 00:28:37.039
What was your job description?
00:28:37.200 --> 00:28:40.319
And how are you doing in relation to that job description?
00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:42.480
You don't want to criticize them personally.
00:28:42.640 --> 00:28:49.200
You want to provide feedback to help them be better at that particular behavior so that they can become a more high-performing individual.
00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:56.400
Well, and I like what you said, Ty, about how you're you wouldn't be giving feedback somebody you didn't think had higher potential than what they were showing.
00:28:56.559 --> 00:28:58.799
And I will say that I think that's the key.
00:28:59.039 --> 00:29:09.119
The key is that people need to know that you care about them and that you really are trying to get them to be the best, whatever it is, you know, best pilot, best leader, best salesman.
00:29:09.279 --> 00:29:10.240
Because that's a key.
00:29:10.400 --> 00:29:15.440
Once I understood the critique I was receiving was because my boss thought I could be better.
00:29:15.680 --> 00:29:19.200
And once I learned how to give that to other people, I think it was received in the right way.
00:29:19.359 --> 00:29:23.599
I think that really is the key, is that and it comes back to a thing that Derek's talked about over and over.
00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:24.640
It's really about trust.
00:29:24.799 --> 00:29:29.599
How do you create trust between a leader and a follower so that you will trust the words that they give you one way or the other?
00:29:29.680 --> 00:29:36.000
But no, I think that was the key, is knowing that you're really doing it because you see them or you see them as well, or more potential.
00:29:36.160 --> 00:29:36.640
So cool.
00:29:36.799 --> 00:29:37.759
Yeah, awesome.
00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:39.119
I appreciate the conversation.
00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:39.839
This has been fun.
00:29:39.920 --> 00:29:41.039
No, I I appreciate it also.
00:29:41.200 --> 00:29:43.920
I've learned something, and like I said, I'm excited to read the book.
00:29:44.160 --> 00:29:56.079
So if you haven't gone to Amazon to look for his book, go ahead and pre-buy the book or go to his website and buy his book to learn about becoming a high performance leader and a high performance team player or team member.
00:29:56.240 --> 00:29:59.440
And I think you will all enjoy it and you'll appreciate it.
00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:01.200
Ty is a great storyteller.
00:30:01.519 --> 00:30:02.799
He knows what he's talking about.
00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:07.519
He's led a lot of businesses and done very well with him because he practiced what he preaches.
00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:17.759
If you have any other questions about Ty's show and Ty's speaking and his writing, then you can reach out directly to him or go to AskDerknow.com and I will connect the two of you.
00:30:17.920 --> 00:30:25.519
If you have any questions about the show, if there is anything that you want uh us to talk about, then please go to the show, go to that website, and we'll have a direct conversation.
00:30:25.680 --> 00:30:32.079
Thanks for joining us for another episode of Commander's Intent, and together we'll continue to become better decision makers for better results.
00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:32.559
Thanks.
00:30:32.720 --> 00:30:33.920
Thanks, guys.
00:30:36.079 --> 00:30:39.680
So that's it for today's episode of Commander's Intent Podcast.
00:30:39.839 --> 00:30:44.960
Head on over to Apple Podcasts iTunes or wherever you listen and subscribe to the show.
00:30:45.200 --> 00:30:59.359
One lucky listener every single week that posts a review on Apple Podcasts or iTunes will be entered in a grand prize drawing to win a$25,000 private, exclusive leadership coaching package with Derek Oakes himself.
00:30:59.519 --> 00:31:08.559
So head on over to Commanders Intent Podcast.com and pick up a free copy of Derek's Leadership Guide and join us on the next episode.
