WEBVTT
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Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
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Connections, the podcast where relationships
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create opportunity and authentic leadership builds
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lasting success. I'm your host, Michael Foreman.
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You've probably heard the saying, your network
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is your net worth. But what if your real net
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worth isn't measured by how many people, it's
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measured by how deeply people trust you. Today's
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guest and I explore authentic leadership, living
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your truth, and why the right relationships come
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from becoming the right person. If you're ready
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to build a network that's grounded in purpose
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instead of appearances, this episode is for you.
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And I just want to say, well, Sandra, that I
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go across the country speaking about this exact
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topic. So I'd like to introduce LaShondra to
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my podcast. I think it's going to be a great
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podcast. And why don't you give us a kind of
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a cliff notes of how you got where you are today?
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Yes, absolutely. So thank you so much for having
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me, Michael. So I spend 35 years working in different
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corporate environments. 20 plus of those in Fortune
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15 companies. And so I understood how to navigate
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highly complex, highly matrixed organizations
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by connecting with the right people. So it's
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always, sometimes it's a game of telephone when
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you're trying to figure out who does what. And
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so I've made it literally my life's purpose to
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understand the who, the what, and the how, and
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to get it done as quickly and effectively as
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possible so that everybody wins. Good, perfect.
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Okay, I've got a bunch of questions for you.
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And let's see what you're really worth here,
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okay? Okay. Okay, we hear the phrase, your network
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is your net worth all the time. Yes. Do you think
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we've misunderstood what that really means? I
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do. Thank you for asking that question, Michael,
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because I think it's, you said earlier in the
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introduction, you think, oh, if I have... 50
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,000 people than I have in my network. No, if
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you had five people who were just really connected
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and they understood you, they understood what
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you did, that's more valuable than the 50 ,000.
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So I think the numbers that we have is not as
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important as the depth of the relationships and
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like you said, how much they trust you. There's
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a piece of it that I think is so much around
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how you build your brand and your reputation
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and how you hold to that and what people can
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expect every time they reach out to you or connect
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with you or partner with you. Those things are
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actually what are the value of your network.
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So when people know that they can reach out to
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you, they know they're getting the right thing
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at the right time. They know you're dedicated
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and committed. And so they want to continuously,
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repeatedly work for you and with you. And they
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also speak your names in rooms that you're not
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in. Absolutely. There's a mantra within networking.
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It's if they know you, if they like you and they
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trust you, they'll do business with you. And
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it's very simple for everybody to know you that
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your 50 ,000 people can know you because your
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face, but like you, that kind of narrows it down
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just a little bit, but then trust because you
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would never do business with somebody that you
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don't trust. Absolutely. Absolutely. And I'm
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sure a lot of your listeners get the same thing
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I get. When you're on LinkedIn, you get bombarded
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by just random people and, hey, I want to help
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you do this. Join me and do this. I'm like, I
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don't even know you. You haven't asked me one
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question about myself, about my business. You're
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just trying to hit as many people as possible
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to try to get one to bite. And I'm like, that's
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not how I do business. And so I'm sure that's
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effective to some people in some ways, but that
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would never work on me. Absolutely. Me either.
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So that works. Okay. You talk about authentic
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leadership. How does authenticity influence the
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kinds of people we're able to attract into our
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lives and businesses? Yeah, absolutely. So I
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think so many times, especially when you're getting
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into corporate leadership, like I spent so much
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time doing, is people tell you, oh, you have
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to act this certain way or be this certain way
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to get results. And so what that actually does
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is telling you that the way you are is not. acceptable
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or not valuable so you're working so hard trying
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to be this other person that you miss out on
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all the what i call the zone of genius right
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so you can't be as productive as innovative and
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creative as you'd like to be because you're too
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busy trying to be this other person in this box
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so what i think about authentic leadership is
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that it unleashes all of the true value that
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you bring to the organization, to your team,
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to yourself. And so it's important for you to
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be able to be authentically who you are, how
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you think, how you critically make decisions,
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how you bring your creativity to the work. And
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that's important on so many levels. So when you
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are actually authentic, you get much more done.
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You're much more effective. effective, and much
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more efficient. And so it's important for people
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to create processes and abilities so people,
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you can live your authentic life. So as a leader
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or supervisor or manager, your job is to remove
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the barriers from people so that they can do
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that authentic leadership. Yeah, that's so profoundly
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put. I go across and I teach everybody about
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authenticity. And first of all, authenticity,
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that word is being thrown around. It's, oh my
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God, I'm not ready. But being yourself. And I
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never heard it quite put that way where it's
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perfect. You have to be yourself and you have
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to allow yourself to go out and think outside
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the box. And you really can't do that when you're
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trying to be somebody else. Exactly. That's exactly
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right. I have to tell you, that was perfectly
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put. Thank you, Michael. It really was. Thank
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you so much. Okay. Many people network while
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trying to impress others. After all, that's what
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networking is. What changes when someone is comfortable
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enough to simply be themselves? First of all,
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I love that question so much. It gives you a
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chance to just listen. Because to me, anytime
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you're thinking about networking or partnering
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with somebody, you're listening for something
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that's a connection point for the two of you,
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right? Whether it's something that you have in
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common, maybe even interests and hobbies, because
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I like to talk about the person. I don't just
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say, who are you in terms of what you do? I'm
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like, who are you in terms of who you are? One
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of my favorite sayings is we are human beings,
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not human doings. And so just being has value,
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but the doing also adds to that. And so when
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I'm asking people questions, I really want to
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understand who they are. So when I make that
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connection point, I'm like, okay, that's good.
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Now we can connect on that level. And I'm continuing
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to be able to be a really good listener because
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that's the way you're going to be a great partner
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or a great business. say, I can meet your needs,
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you got to understand what those needs are. And
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if you don't perfect yourself as being a good
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listener, you'll never understand those needs.
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And so to me, that's what's so important is when
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you're comfortable in who you are, you can just
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listen and then be able to actually interact
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with that person in a way that really is meaningful
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to them. Absolutely. Let me ask you a question.
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What would you do if you go up to somebody and
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say, okay, what do you do? And they give you
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that canned 30 second elevator speech. So the
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first thing is, I don't even ask them the question,
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what do you do? I say, tell me who you are. And
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they want to immediately start with, I work in
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this job and I do this. And I said, not what
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you do. Tell me who you are. And so I always
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make that distinction to ask the very specific
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questions so that they understand what I'm trying
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to get at. Because that has opened up so many
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more doors for me networking, Michael, than asking,
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oh, what do you do? Because I don't want the
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canned answer. I want the authentic, what it
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is from the heart. What drives you every day?
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What wakes you up? Now, what's that purpose that
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you're living that makes a difference? And that's
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what I want to know about. Very good. Very good.
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Because what I teach is when I ask you that question
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and they give me a 30 second elevator speech,
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I said, OK, let's perfect your 30 seconds and
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we perfect it. Say, OK, now throw that out and
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bring it down to 10 seconds. That usually throws
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them for a loop. We get it down to 10 seconds.
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I said, that's great. Now throw it out. Because
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I want to know the feeling that you give to the
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other person about what you do. And that tells
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so much more than what you do. So I introduce
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all the different things. But that's really what
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I'm after is the feeling that I'm a public professional
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speaker. I'm an executive business coach. And
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what do I do? I turn conversations into clients.
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Without leaving money on the table. That's what
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I do. Yes. And then I'll tell you, oh, I'm a
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business coach. Sure. Fine. But that's what I
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love. Okay. Yes. Many people network while trying
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to impress others. What changes? Oh, I just asked
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you that question. That's silly, isn't it? That's
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okay. Let's go to number four. Okay. So living
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your truth sounds inspiring, but it can also
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be uncomfortable. Have there ever been moments
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when staying true to your values cost you an
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opportunity, yet ultimately led to something
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better? Oh, absolutely. I love this question.
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Probably the most of anything you've asked me
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so far. That's one of my favorite pieces because
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I think when you are your authentic self, you
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attract the power. The clients, the partners,
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those people who want to do business with you.
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I'm a very specific kind of brand. I tell people
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all the time, I'm a storyteller. I'm a very public,
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very loud, very dynamic storyteller. If you want
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somebody who's quiet and reserved, that's not
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going to be me. So anything about my branding
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does not look like that at all. So when I'm living
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my truth, I come out and I'm funny. I'm a little
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quirky, but I always come rooted in real data
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and lived experience. And so if people are looking
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for that, kind of interaction then that's what
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they get with me every single time like every
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single time which is around the brand. If you're
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building a brand, they need to have that experience
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every time they do with you or anybody working
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on your team. And so that is what's super important
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to me is that I live exactly what I say I am
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and people get that. And they keep coming back
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and I get referrals all the time. And that is
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the biggest honor for me is to have repeat business
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and referrals from those I've done business with.
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And that to me is the ultimate pinnacle of doing
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business and being a good business person. Absolutely.
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And you told me that you put humor into everything,
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as do I, because it's usually self -deprecating,
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right? Because I'm not going to make fun of somebody
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else. And when you turn it on yourself, they
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start laughing and they're not sure why they're
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laughing, but they're laughing at you as I join
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the party because everybody else is laughing
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at me also. Exactly. You make the room more fun
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and people become more interested and pay attention
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a little bit more. So yeah, that's exactly what
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I do also. Very good. Yes. And it delivers humanity.
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First of all, we want to everybody know, hey,
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I'm human. I'm not robot. So if I mess up some
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words or something, one of my favorite things,
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if you as a public speaker, you probably know
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I was saying something and a whole bunch of spit
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just flew right out of my mouth. And I'm like,
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front row, if you didn't expect the second shower
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today, I'm so glad I was able to meet that need
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for you. So it's like you just say stuff like
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that because you want to. It's human to do that.
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So you just humanize it all. And it makes people
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feel a lot more comfortable. Absolutely. I have
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to tell you, there was one time I was on stage
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and it was just about a stage that was about
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a foot and a half high and then the room. And
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as I'm speaking and talking, that stage collapsed.
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Right. And I went down about a foot and a half.
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I was still standing about a foot and a half
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and everybody was like, I said, I'm feeling mighty
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low. I owned the situation. I got out of it.
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And I went on with the show. And that was really
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it. And afterwards, the event planners came up
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to me and said that was perfect. They apologized
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and everything, but it was perfect. That's wonderful.
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Love that. Do you believe people are attracted
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more to confidence, competence, or authenticity?
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Which one creates the deepest trust over time?
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That's such a great question, Michael. And I
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honestly think it might be. Based on the situation,
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I was having this conversation actually just
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last week about confidence and walking in your
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confidence. And you could be confidently wrong
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in a lot of cases, right? You can walk in and
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you can present yourself as knowing what you're
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talking about and you sound good, but you're
00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:03.679
literally making stuff up. So I think that's
00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:05.779
a challenge. But people look at that as maybe,
00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:07.299
oh, do they really know what you're talking about?
00:13:07.460 --> 00:13:08.899
You need to do a little bit of investigation,
00:13:09.159 --> 00:13:11.440
right? And then the confidence. competence piece
00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:13.659
to me is you can be competent what you're doing
00:13:13.659 --> 00:13:16.340
but you're a little timid to share it so there's
00:13:16.340 --> 00:13:18.519
a piece of this like oh i don't know if i can
00:13:18.519 --> 00:13:20.279
really trust this person because they're i know
00:13:20.279 --> 00:13:21.899
this is true but i'm not sure and they're not
00:13:21.899 --> 00:13:23.539
looking at you and they're looking down you're
00:13:23.539 --> 00:13:26.440
like so that doesn't really show it to me authenticity
00:13:27.690 --> 00:13:30.190
brings both of those together. If you're confident
00:13:30.190 --> 00:13:32.309
in knowing, hey, I really know this, or hey,
00:13:32.389 --> 00:13:34.149
I don't know this at all. I need to research
00:13:34.149 --> 00:13:36.610
this. I think that's a beautiful thing. And when
00:13:36.610 --> 00:13:38.830
you show up in that authentic way saying, this
00:13:38.830 --> 00:13:40.669
is what I do really when I'm really competent
00:13:40.669 --> 00:13:43.149
in this, but then this is what I know I do really
00:13:43.149 --> 00:13:44.929
when I'm confident in it. So that authenticity
00:13:44.929 --> 00:13:48.149
to me brings both of them together in a marriage
00:13:48.149 --> 00:13:50.870
that is exactly what people need to build the
00:13:50.870 --> 00:13:55.009
most trust. Yes, absolutely. And you hit it when
00:13:55.009 --> 00:13:57.889
you said you can be confident not knowing what
00:13:57.889 --> 00:14:00.269
you're talking about, but you can be confident.
00:14:00.350 --> 00:14:03.470
But then that chisels away your authenticity.
00:14:03.870 --> 00:14:07.309
Yes. So it chisels it away a little bit. So you're
00:14:07.309 --> 00:14:10.210
right. Authenticity brings about all three together.
00:14:10.450 --> 00:14:13.090
And so that's a very good answer. Thank you.
00:14:13.149 --> 00:14:17.610
In today's AI driven world where polished content
00:14:17.610 --> 00:14:21.110
is everywhere. Do you think authenticity has
00:14:21.110 --> 00:14:24.570
become one of the rarest and most valuable leadership
00:14:24.570 --> 00:14:29.450
qualities? I really do. I struggle with this
00:14:29.450 --> 00:14:32.029
one so much because when I talk to a lot of my
00:14:32.029 --> 00:14:34.230
clients, they're like laying people off saying,
00:14:34.289 --> 00:14:37.090
we got to make room for AI. And I say, AI is
00:14:37.090 --> 00:14:40.200
a - tool, y 'all. It's not to replace people.
00:14:40.340 --> 00:14:43.120
It's to help them be more effective, more efficient,
00:14:43.179 --> 00:14:45.799
and to focus on the things that they do best,
00:14:45.960 --> 00:14:47.940
right? There will never be a time we don't need
00:14:47.940 --> 00:14:50.620
human skills. There will never be a time that
00:14:50.620 --> 00:14:53.700
we don't need human skills. And so I appreciate
00:14:53.700 --> 00:14:55.980
what AI can do. To me, it's just like a Google
00:14:55.980 --> 00:14:57.940
search, or if you're old enough to understand
00:14:57.940 --> 00:15:00.000
Encyclopedia Britannica, when you used to get
00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:03.159
those subscriptions, there are tools to help
00:15:03.159 --> 00:15:06.019
you understand how to develop arguments, how
00:15:06.019 --> 00:15:07.840
to gain more knowledge. and to be able to do
00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:11.059
your job more effectively. And so for me, AI
00:15:11.059 --> 00:15:14.679
is just the tool. And what we have to do is continue
00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:17.600
to help humans know how to utilize that tool
00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:20.399
to the best of their ability so that their authenticity
00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:22.879
can shine, where they can take away some of those
00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:25.580
more mundane, menial tasks that take so much
00:15:25.580 --> 00:15:27.940
of their time and effort and burns people out,
00:15:27.980 --> 00:15:30.980
honestly. And now you can really focus on that
00:15:30.980 --> 00:15:33.860
value that you're bringing to not only the organization,
00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:37.659
but to the clients that you serve. I'm so glad
00:15:37.659 --> 00:15:41.200
that you said AI is a tool, right? Because it's
00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:43.639
just a quiver in your arrow and it's a tool.
00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:46.500
And you don't have to get rid of people. You
00:15:46.500 --> 00:15:49.980
can make the people who are there better and
00:15:49.980 --> 00:15:53.720
be more effective. So instead of hiring another
00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:58.299
person, the people there can do more with less.
00:15:58.500 --> 00:16:03.039
So I frown upon employers that are getting rid
00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:07.009
of people. To bring in AI tools because it is
00:16:07.009 --> 00:16:10.610
a tool, as you said. Yes, that's exactly right.
00:16:10.710 --> 00:16:12.450
Because I don't know any person in construction
00:16:12.450 --> 00:16:14.549
that leaves a hammer on the table and says, OK,
00:16:14.629 --> 00:16:16.149
that hammer is the tool that's going to do everything.
00:16:16.529 --> 00:16:19.789
No, it's not. That's right. That's right. That's
00:16:19.789 --> 00:16:22.649
a very, very good analogy. I'm going to write
00:16:22.649 --> 00:16:25.129
that down. As a matter of fact, a carpenter,
00:16:25.210 --> 00:16:28.370
a construction worker, it's a tool. It's like
00:16:28.370 --> 00:16:30.190
you can't lay it on the table and say, OK, go
00:16:30.190 --> 00:16:32.889
to work. Exactly. It's not going to do anything.
00:16:33.009 --> 00:16:35.990
You've got to be the one behind it. So very good.
00:16:36.450 --> 00:16:40.230
Okay. What's the difference between attracting
00:16:40.230 --> 00:16:43.789
a large network and attracting the right network?
00:16:44.009 --> 00:16:47.490
And how can someone tell when they're building
00:16:47.490 --> 00:16:51.929
relationships that truly fit their values? I
00:16:51.929 --> 00:16:53.789
love this question too. You come up with some
00:16:53.789 --> 00:16:55.370
really great questions, Michael. I'm loving this.
00:16:55.529 --> 00:16:59.009
I think about the influencer market that we're
00:16:59.009 --> 00:17:00.970
in right now, right? So you see so many people
00:17:00.970 --> 00:17:03.009
on social media that's like, I'm an influencer
00:17:03.009 --> 00:17:05.269
and I have 100 ,000 followers, so you should
00:17:05.269 --> 00:17:07.730
just trust me. And I'm like, okay, that's cool,
00:17:07.789 --> 00:17:10.609
but how did you get those 100 ,000? And then
00:17:10.609 --> 00:17:12.750
what is the value that you're giving it in? But
00:17:12.750 --> 00:17:14.329
what is also the value they're giving back to
00:17:14.329 --> 00:17:16.390
you? Because if I had 100 ,000 followers, and
00:17:16.390 --> 00:17:18.210
I'm not mad at anybody who has 100 ,000 followers,
00:17:18.410 --> 00:17:20.529
there's no way you can make authentic relationships
00:17:20.529 --> 00:17:23.269
with 100 ,000. thousand people. There's zero
00:17:23.269 --> 00:17:26.769
way. Zero way. And most of it is just noise.
00:17:26.990 --> 00:17:29.710
But if you, again, come back to having, I have
00:17:29.710 --> 00:17:33.349
10 people that have got my back, that understand
00:17:33.349 --> 00:17:37.190
me, that see the value that I bring, those 10
00:17:37.190 --> 00:17:40.170
are the multiplier factor that you need. And
00:17:40.170 --> 00:17:42.289
to me, that is the most important. How can you
00:17:42.289 --> 00:17:45.650
go deep as much as you can, not necessarily wide,
00:17:45.829 --> 00:17:48.390
but you can go wide and deep to a certain amount,
00:17:48.470 --> 00:17:50.970
but not everybody. And so really understanding
00:17:50.970 --> 00:17:53.029
first and foremost, what is it you're actually
00:17:53.029 --> 00:17:56.200
going after? ask the right questions first to
00:17:56.200 --> 00:17:58.940
understand the outcomes that you want. And then
00:17:58.940 --> 00:18:01.099
I always work backwards. Okay. If this is the
00:18:01.099 --> 00:18:03.660
outcome I want, what are the steps I need to
00:18:03.660 --> 00:18:06.039
do to get there? And so I try to trace that back
00:18:06.039 --> 00:18:08.819
to one, I say. And so that is the most important
00:18:08.819 --> 00:18:11.440
thing is first and foremost, decide what is the
00:18:11.440 --> 00:18:13.920
outcome you actually want with that network and
00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:16.259
then work your way backwards to think how is
00:18:16.259 --> 00:18:20.309
the most effective way I can get that done. That's
00:18:20.309 --> 00:18:24.390
a very good. That's a financial and a marketing
00:18:24.390 --> 00:18:27.329
tool that you always look at your end results.
00:18:27.470 --> 00:18:30.410
Okay. That's how I got here. That's what I want
00:18:30.410 --> 00:18:34.009
to do. How can I get there? And you dissect it
00:18:34.009 --> 00:18:37.150
right down to, okay, I have to get three clients
00:18:37.150 --> 00:18:40.230
this week, right down to that point. So that's,
00:18:40.230 --> 00:18:44.490
and I use that all the time. So you're hitting
00:18:44.490 --> 00:18:47.329
it right on the nail, right on the head. Thank
00:18:47.329 --> 00:18:50.730
you. Okay. When you've built your strongest partnerships.
00:18:51.690 --> 00:18:54.710
What mattered more in the beginning, shared goals
00:18:54.710 --> 00:18:59.930
or shared values? Oh, 100 % shared values. It's
00:18:59.930 --> 00:19:03.230
always to me, you got to appreciate and respect
00:19:03.230 --> 00:19:05.509
the people that you're working with. it brings
00:19:05.509 --> 00:19:08.269
so much more to the table. And I will tell you
00:19:08.269 --> 00:19:11.869
from examples of me working in those larger matrix
00:19:11.869 --> 00:19:14.910
companies, we worked with some folks that I feel
00:19:14.910 --> 00:19:18.490
like were some suspect and shady and I didn't
00:19:18.490 --> 00:19:21.150
like doing it, but I was beholden to a corporate
00:19:21.150 --> 00:19:23.809
paycheck. So I did what I had to do. But as a
00:19:23.809 --> 00:19:26.210
business owner, I get to make a different decision.
00:19:26.450 --> 00:19:28.750
And I say, these are the values and I wear them
00:19:28.750 --> 00:19:31.210
loud and proud on my sleeve, on my website, everywhere.
00:19:31.309 --> 00:19:33.390
So people know what they're getting into as soon
00:19:33.390 --> 00:19:36.119
as they. connect with me or see me anywhere on
00:19:36.119 --> 00:19:38.519
social media. And so that's the first thing.
00:19:38.599 --> 00:19:40.680
So I'm going to ask them, how do you treat your
00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:42.660
people? First and foremost, I'm human centered
00:19:42.660 --> 00:19:45.140
and I'll tell people that 100%. I'm not just
00:19:45.140 --> 00:19:47.500
about the financial aspect. How are you treating
00:19:47.500 --> 00:19:49.240
your people and how are you helping them with
00:19:49.240 --> 00:19:51.559
the financial aspect of their lives? And if we
00:19:51.559 --> 00:19:54.039
mesh there, then we can continue the conversation
00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:56.779
about what the mutual goals are that we have
00:19:56.779 --> 00:19:58.519
for each other and how we can help each other
00:19:58.519 --> 00:20:03.049
get there. Hey, all right. All right. I like
00:20:03.049 --> 00:20:07.089
that answer too. This is great. Okay. How do
00:20:07.089 --> 00:20:10.349
leaders create environments where people feel
00:20:10.349 --> 00:20:13.990
safe enough to be honest, vulnerable, or fully
00:20:13.990 --> 00:20:17.779
engaged instead of simply performing? Absolutely.
00:20:17.980 --> 00:20:20.339
First, they lead by example. I always tell my
00:20:20.339 --> 00:20:22.480
leaders, I said, the most important ways that
00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:24.859
you can show up as a leader is through vulnerability,
00:20:25.319 --> 00:20:28.380
humility, and authenticity. And if you know something,
00:20:28.460 --> 00:20:30.099
say you know it. If you don't know something,
00:20:30.140 --> 00:20:32.380
say, I don't know that, but I can find out. People
00:20:32.380 --> 00:20:36.279
love truth and they love humanity. So all of
00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:38.720
us, as we know, we're flawed as humans. So just
00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:41.359
saying, hey, I don't know, but. Together, we
00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:43.660
do know. And I think that's the biggest piece
00:20:43.660 --> 00:20:46.839
is always people want things done with them,
00:20:46.859 --> 00:20:49.259
not to them. So when you address it with your
00:20:49.259 --> 00:20:51.299
team and say, hey, we have this problem we need
00:20:51.299 --> 00:20:54.150
to solve. I have this much information, but I
00:20:54.150 --> 00:20:56.210
know each of you have information as well. How
00:20:56.210 --> 00:20:58.309
can we bring all the relevant information together
00:20:58.309 --> 00:21:01.130
to make a solution that we can all work toward
00:21:01.130 --> 00:21:04.309
together? That buy -in means so much to folks.
00:21:04.490 --> 00:21:06.950
They really say, oh, you value what I bring to
00:21:06.950 --> 00:21:10.289
the table. I'm not just a task doer. I'm actually
00:21:10.289 --> 00:21:12.869
a part of seeing the success of this organization.
00:21:13.289 --> 00:21:15.789
And so when leaders are able to create that kind
00:21:15.789 --> 00:21:17.950
of environment where it's two -way communication,
00:21:18.190 --> 00:21:20.710
two -way communication, and that everybody is
00:21:20.710 --> 00:21:23.490
involved in it, decision -making, that is so
00:21:23.490 --> 00:21:26.109
important. And that doesn't mean abdicating your
00:21:26.109 --> 00:21:29.410
responsibilities as a leader for leading the
00:21:29.410 --> 00:21:32.250
team. It's saying, I need input from all of you
00:21:32.250 --> 00:21:34.670
to make the best decisions that we can move forward
00:21:34.670 --> 00:21:39.170
together. That was very good. And I noticed that
00:21:39.170 --> 00:21:42.650
you constantly use the word leader instead of
00:21:42.650 --> 00:21:46.609
boss. Yes. Okay. Because there is such a difference
00:21:46.609 --> 00:21:49.670
between being a leader and being a boss. And
00:21:49.670 --> 00:21:53.599
part of my workshop that I do, It brings that
00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:56.000
into it, the difference between being a leader
00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:59.440
and a boss. And you always say you want to be
00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:03.079
a leader instead of a boss. A boss, you can go
00:22:03.079 --> 00:22:07.039
on the street and find a boss, right, to regurgitate
00:22:07.039 --> 00:22:10.599
your policies. But to be a leader, that's so
00:22:10.599 --> 00:22:13.099
different. You have to be part of that. But yeah,
00:22:13.180 --> 00:22:16.920
so before I give you the last question, if your
00:22:16.920 --> 00:22:20.039
network became a mirror of your character tomorrow,
00:22:20.650 --> 00:22:24.799
What would you be proud of that reflection? I
00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:28.740
would be so proud of how we think about not only
00:22:28.740 --> 00:22:31.079
ourselves, but each other. Whenever we make a
00:22:31.079 --> 00:22:33.140
decision, we're like, how is this going to impact
00:22:33.140 --> 00:22:35.819
the greater good, the greater world, our team?
00:22:35.900 --> 00:22:38.259
You start with yourself as a small circle and
00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:41.220
it's, okay, myself, then my team, then my company,
00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:43.579
then my world, right? So I always think about
00:22:43.579 --> 00:22:45.480
the ripple effect. If you throw a stone in the
00:22:45.480 --> 00:22:48.240
water, it starts small and it ripples out. And
00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:50.839
that's what I always think about in terms of
00:22:50.839 --> 00:22:53.700
how my... my network looks at me and reflects
00:22:53.700 --> 00:22:56.859
me and I reflect them is how do we start small
00:22:56.859 --> 00:22:59.799
and let that ripple effect multiplier just continues
00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:02.599
to go out so that everybody can win. It's not
00:23:02.599 --> 00:23:04.960
a win -lose situation. It's a win -win all the
00:23:04.960 --> 00:23:08.930
time. Very good. Very good. Okay. So let's bring
00:23:08.930 --> 00:23:12.250
this podcast full circle. If someone listening
00:23:12.250 --> 00:23:15.089
wanted to build a network that reflected the
00:23:15.089 --> 00:23:19.109
person that they aspire to become, not just the
00:23:19.109 --> 00:23:22.410
career they hope to have. What would you encourage
00:23:22.410 --> 00:23:26.650
them to start doing today? I would encourage
00:23:26.650 --> 00:23:28.829
them number one to start doing wherever you are.
00:23:28.910 --> 00:23:31.500
Are you in a company? Have you talked to your
00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:34.359
team? Have you talked to teams that are completely
00:23:34.359 --> 00:23:36.859
right adjacent to you? How have you built relationships?
00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:39.900
Not just about, hey, I need a transaction. I
00:23:39.900 --> 00:23:41.900
need you to do this thing for me. How have you
00:23:41.900 --> 00:23:44.460
built a relationship? And those kinds of things
00:23:44.460 --> 00:23:46.940
are super important. I come from a hospitality
00:23:46.940 --> 00:23:48.960
background and I say there's a difference between
00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:51.579
hospitality and customer service. Customer service
00:23:51.579 --> 00:23:53.740
is transactional. Hospitality is relational.
00:23:53.980 --> 00:23:56.799
We're building long -term relationships. So I'm
00:23:56.799 --> 00:23:59.799
always practicing hospitality. And I think everybody.
00:24:00.109 --> 00:24:03.329
has the ability to do that, you have to put your
00:24:03.329 --> 00:24:05.869
hand out first and say, hi, I'm Law Baker, and
00:24:05.869 --> 00:24:08.410
I want to get to know you and how you work and
00:24:08.410 --> 00:24:10.730
how you think. And I want to be able to see how
00:24:10.730 --> 00:24:13.410
can we partner together to us be successful together.
00:24:13.589 --> 00:24:16.410
And when you say that, that opens up a whole
00:24:16.410 --> 00:24:19.049
nother door for people to be able to like, oh,
00:24:19.210 --> 00:24:21.890
okay, let's talk a little bit. Let's share and
00:24:21.890 --> 00:24:24.109
let's build together. Because it's not about
00:24:24.109 --> 00:24:27.839
extraction. It's about how do you actually build
00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:33.210
each other and grow together now you said law
00:24:33.210 --> 00:24:37.349
baker you don't use lachandra i do but most of
00:24:37.349 --> 00:24:39.329
my people just because i'm just i'm so simple
00:24:39.329 --> 00:24:41.269
i'm just i'm just regular all the time michael
00:24:41.269 --> 00:24:44.380
so people just call me law most of the time OK,
00:24:44.380 --> 00:24:46.680
I want to make sure, because if I was calling
00:24:46.680 --> 00:24:49.460
you something wrong this whole time and you didn't
00:24:49.460 --> 00:24:51.839
say anything. OK, I just want to know you're
00:24:51.839 --> 00:24:53.839
not at all. Just people just once you get more
00:24:53.839 --> 00:24:55.900
familiar with me, it just calls me law. So you
00:24:55.900 --> 00:24:57.799
can call me law going forward, Michael, because
00:24:57.799 --> 00:25:01.079
we're familiar with each other now. Thank you
00:25:01.079 --> 00:25:04.079
very much. Thank you. Well, I want to thank you
00:25:04.079 --> 00:25:07.140
so much for coming on the podcast, because. This
00:25:07.140 --> 00:25:10.940
was extraordinary. We are so much on the same
00:25:10.940 --> 00:25:15.779
level thinking -wise that it's uncanny. But listen,
00:25:16.039 --> 00:25:18.779
if somebody wanted to get hold of you, either
00:25:18.779 --> 00:25:21.700
to be mentored by you, to be coached by you,
00:25:21.819 --> 00:25:25.779
or just to say hi, how would they do it? Absolutely.
00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:29.519
So my website is LBB edutainment because it's
00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:32.200
my initials LBB and edutainment because we're
00:25:32.200 --> 00:25:34.759
the juxtaposition of educating and entertaining
00:25:34.759 --> 00:25:37.500
like yourself. We bring that together. And then
00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:40.920
I'm all all socials at LBB edutainment so they
00:25:40.920 --> 00:25:44.359
can find me anywhere. Absolutely. This was so
00:25:44.359 --> 00:25:48.119
inspiring. OK, the biggest takeaway, the strongest
00:25:48.119 --> 00:25:51.200
relationships are built by trying to impress
00:25:51.200 --> 00:25:54.720
people. They're built by. being genuine enough
00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:58.380
to people to trust you. If you enjoyed this episode,
00:25:58.579 --> 00:26:01.400
follow, subscribe to Networking Unleashed, Building
00:26:01.400 --> 00:26:04.019
Profitable Connections for more conversations
00:26:04.019 --> 00:26:07.180
on networking, communication, leadership, and
00:26:07.180 --> 00:26:10.220
business growth. And if this episode made you
00:26:10.220 --> 00:26:13.019
think differently about relationships, make it
00:26:13.019 --> 00:26:16.180
with somebody who believes success begins with
00:26:16.180 --> 00:26:19.170
authenticity. If you're looking for a keynote
00:26:19.170 --> 00:26:22.589
speaker or executive communication coach to help
00:26:22.589 --> 00:26:24.789
your organization build stronger relationships,
00:26:25.049 --> 00:26:28.910
communicate with greater impact, and create meaningful
00:26:28.910 --> 00:26:32.650
business connections, visit michaelaforman .com.
00:26:32.890 --> 00:26:36.410
So until next time, remember, your network isn't
00:26:36.410 --> 00:26:39.430
built by collecting contacts. It's built by earning
00:26:39.430 --> 00:26:43.049
trust, living your values, and becoming someone
00:26:43.049 --> 00:26:46.710
people are proud to know. La, I will tell you
00:26:46.710 --> 00:26:50.099
again. This was a great podcast. Thank you so
00:26:50.099 --> 00:26:56.279
much for having me, Michael. Oh, I would like
00:26:56.279 --> 00:26:59.819
to welcome you to the Fusion Alliance Business
00:26:59.819 --> 00:27:04.299
Expo 2. That's right. We're having another networking
00:27:04.299 --> 00:27:07.480
expo. Now, this one is going to be even better
00:27:07.480 --> 00:27:10.480
than the first one in March. This one is October
00:27:10.480 --> 00:27:14.859
22nd, held at Iphone Restaurant and Event Center,
00:27:15.059 --> 00:27:20.500
6000 Medlock Bridge Parkway, Georgia. This is
00:27:20.500 --> 00:27:23.119
your chance. This is your chance to showcase
00:27:23.119 --> 00:27:26.299
your business, connect with the community, and
00:27:26.299 --> 00:27:30.079
gain unmatched exposure. This event is designed
00:27:30.079 --> 00:27:33.460
to highlight your thriving business and is a
00:27:33.460 --> 00:27:36.579
must -attend gathering for most local leaders
00:27:36.579 --> 00:27:41.119
and entrepreneurs. So now, what is there going
00:27:41.119 --> 00:27:43.200
to be? First of all, it's free admission to the
00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:46.650
public. So come one, come all. There's going
00:27:46.650 --> 00:27:49.130
to be a large audience to see your business.
00:27:49.390 --> 00:27:52.309
You're going to gain new customers, build your
00:27:52.309 --> 00:27:55.329
brand, and establish strategic partnerships.
00:27:55.869 --> 00:27:58.970
So whether you're looking to gain new customers,
00:27:59.329 --> 00:28:02.869
build your brand, or establish strategic partnerships,
00:28:03.609 --> 00:28:07.730
Business Expo 2 is the place to be. Don't miss
00:28:07.730 --> 00:28:10.529
your chance to be part of this exclusive annual
00:28:10.529 --> 00:28:15.230
showcase of Johns Creek's best businesses. Remember...
00:28:15.269 --> 00:28:19.630
It's October 22nd. Remember that. October 22nd
00:28:19.630 --> 00:28:23.589
between the hours of 11 a .m. and 4 p .m. The
00:28:23.589 --> 00:28:27.990
location, 6000 Medlock Bridge Parkway, Johns
00:28:27.990 --> 00:28:32.589
Creek. You can go to the website and it's www.
00:28:35.009 --> 00:28:39.569
FusionAlliance .info. F -U -S -I -O -N -A -L
00:28:39.569 --> 00:28:44.230
-L -I -A -N -C -E .info. You can get all of it
00:28:44.230 --> 00:28:46.730
there. You can be a vendor. You can be a sponsor.
00:28:46.970 --> 00:28:49.809
Or if you want, you can just come on and enjoy
00:28:49.809 --> 00:28:52.490
it. So come on down. Everyone else is going to
00:28:52.490 --> 00:28:56.710
be there. And just enjoy yourself. All right,
00:28:56.769 --> 00:28:59.750
folks. A huge thank you to our guests for sharing
00:28:59.750 --> 00:29:03.000
such incredible insights today. And of course,
00:29:03.019 --> 00:29:05.920
a big shout out to you, our amazing listeners,
00:29:06.119 --> 00:29:08.859
for tuning in and spending your time with us.
00:29:09.119 --> 00:29:12.420
If you're interested in my digital courses, being
00:29:12.420 --> 00:29:15.160
coached, or having me come and talk to your company,
00:29:15.380 --> 00:29:18.799
just go to Michael and fill out the request form.
00:29:19.380 --> 00:29:22.640
Remember, networking isn't about being perfect.
00:29:22.839 --> 00:29:25.920
It's about being present. So take what you've
00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:28.779
learned today, get out there, and make some meaningful
00:29:28.779 --> 00:29:31.700
connections. If you've enjoyed this episode,
00:29:31.900 --> 00:29:34.859
please don't forget to subscribe. Leave us a
00:29:34.859 --> 00:29:37.460
review and share it with someone who could use
00:29:37.460 --> 00:29:40.579
a little networking inspiration. Let's keep the
00:29:40.579 --> 00:29:43.599
conversation going. You can find me on Apple,
00:29:43.720 --> 00:29:48.559
Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or my website, foreman
00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:50.960
.com slash podcasts.
00:00:00.620 --> 00:00:04.099
Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
00:00:04.099 --> 00:00:06.700
Connections, the podcast where relationships
00:00:06.700 --> 00:00:10.580
create opportunity and authentic leadership builds
00:00:10.580 --> 00:00:13.859
lasting success. I'm your host, Michael Foreman.
00:00:13.919 --> 00:00:16.699
You've probably heard the saying, your network
00:00:16.699 --> 00:00:20.120
is your net worth. But what if your real net
00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:23.199
worth isn't measured by how many people, it's
00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:27.050
measured by how deeply people trust you. Today's
00:00:27.050 --> 00:00:30.710
guest and I explore authentic leadership, living
00:00:30.710 --> 00:00:33.950
your truth, and why the right relationships come
00:00:33.950 --> 00:00:37.710
from becoming the right person. If you're ready
00:00:37.710 --> 00:00:40.409
to build a network that's grounded in purpose
00:00:40.409 --> 00:00:44.130
instead of appearances, this episode is for you.
00:00:44.469 --> 00:00:47.789
And I just want to say, well, Sandra, that I
00:00:47.789 --> 00:00:51.810
go across the country speaking about this exact
00:00:51.810 --> 00:00:56.649
topic. So I'd like to introduce LaShondra to
00:00:56.649 --> 00:00:59.770
my podcast. I think it's going to be a great
00:00:59.770 --> 00:01:03.549
podcast. And why don't you give us a kind of
00:01:03.549 --> 00:01:06.909
a cliff notes of how you got where you are today?
00:01:07.469 --> 00:01:09.689
Yes, absolutely. So thank you so much for having
00:01:09.689 --> 00:01:13.329
me, Michael. So I spend 35 years working in different
00:01:13.329 --> 00:01:16.370
corporate environments. 20 plus of those in Fortune
00:01:16.370 --> 00:01:19.629
15 companies. And so I understood how to navigate
00:01:19.629 --> 00:01:22.290
highly complex, highly matrixed organizations
00:01:22.290 --> 00:01:25.109
by connecting with the right people. So it's
00:01:25.109 --> 00:01:27.250
always, sometimes it's a game of telephone when
00:01:27.250 --> 00:01:29.510
you're trying to figure out who does what. And
00:01:29.510 --> 00:01:32.409
so I've made it literally my life's purpose to
00:01:32.409 --> 00:01:34.629
understand the who, the what, and the how, and
00:01:34.629 --> 00:01:36.750
to get it done as quickly and effectively as
00:01:36.750 --> 00:01:40.590
possible so that everybody wins. Good, perfect.
00:01:41.489 --> 00:01:44.670
Okay, I've got a bunch of questions for you.
00:01:44.730 --> 00:01:46.969
And let's see what you're really worth here,
00:01:47.069 --> 00:01:51.129
okay? Okay. Okay, we hear the phrase, your network
00:01:51.129 --> 00:01:54.909
is your net worth all the time. Yes. Do you think
00:01:54.909 --> 00:01:58.340
we've misunderstood what that really means? I
00:01:58.340 --> 00:02:00.519
do. Thank you for asking that question, Michael,
00:02:00.620 --> 00:02:02.980
because I think it's, you said earlier in the
00:02:02.980 --> 00:02:06.010
introduction, you think, oh, if I have... 50
00:02:06.010 --> 00:02:08.949
,000 people than I have in my network. No, if
00:02:08.949 --> 00:02:11.469
you had five people who were just really connected
00:02:11.469 --> 00:02:13.509
and they understood you, they understood what
00:02:13.509 --> 00:02:15.909
you did, that's more valuable than the 50 ,000.
00:02:16.050 --> 00:02:18.889
So I think the numbers that we have is not as
00:02:18.889 --> 00:02:21.370
important as the depth of the relationships and
00:02:21.370 --> 00:02:24.090
like you said, how much they trust you. There's
00:02:24.090 --> 00:02:25.969
a piece of it that I think is so much around
00:02:25.969 --> 00:02:28.250
how you build your brand and your reputation
00:02:28.250 --> 00:02:30.789
and how you hold to that and what people can
00:02:30.789 --> 00:02:33.270
expect every time they reach out to you or connect
00:02:33.270 --> 00:02:35.740
with you or partner with you. Those things are
00:02:35.740 --> 00:02:38.560
actually what are the value of your network.
00:02:38.780 --> 00:02:40.599
So when people know that they can reach out to
00:02:40.599 --> 00:02:42.360
you, they know they're getting the right thing
00:02:42.360 --> 00:02:44.240
at the right time. They know you're dedicated
00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:46.960
and committed. And so they want to continuously,
00:02:47.060 --> 00:02:49.719
repeatedly work for you and with you. And they
00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:51.840
also speak your names in rooms that you're not
00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:56.139
in. Absolutely. There's a mantra within networking.
00:02:56.810 --> 00:02:59.610
It's if they know you, if they like you and they
00:02:59.610 --> 00:03:02.569
trust you, they'll do business with you. And
00:03:02.569 --> 00:03:05.229
it's very simple for everybody to know you that
00:03:05.229 --> 00:03:09.050
your 50 ,000 people can know you because your
00:03:09.050 --> 00:03:13.050
face, but like you, that kind of narrows it down
00:03:13.050 --> 00:03:16.530
just a little bit, but then trust because you
00:03:16.530 --> 00:03:18.590
would never do business with somebody that you
00:03:18.590 --> 00:03:21.490
don't trust. Absolutely. Absolutely. And I'm
00:03:21.490 --> 00:03:23.710
sure a lot of your listeners get the same thing
00:03:23.710 --> 00:03:25.729
I get. When you're on LinkedIn, you get bombarded
00:03:25.729 --> 00:03:28.409
by just random people and, hey, I want to help
00:03:28.409 --> 00:03:30.729
you do this. Join me and do this. I'm like, I
00:03:30.729 --> 00:03:32.189
don't even know you. You haven't asked me one
00:03:32.189 --> 00:03:34.750
question about myself, about my business. You're
00:03:34.750 --> 00:03:36.770
just trying to hit as many people as possible
00:03:36.770 --> 00:03:38.849
to try to get one to bite. And I'm like, that's
00:03:38.849 --> 00:03:41.229
not how I do business. And so I'm sure that's
00:03:41.229 --> 00:03:43.330
effective to some people in some ways, but that
00:03:43.330 --> 00:03:46.889
would never work on me. Absolutely. Me either.
00:03:47.210 --> 00:03:50.750
So that works. Okay. You talk about authentic
00:03:50.750 --> 00:03:55.229
leadership. How does authenticity influence the
00:03:55.229 --> 00:03:58.710
kinds of people we're able to attract into our
00:03:58.710 --> 00:04:01.969
lives and businesses? Yeah, absolutely. So I
00:04:01.969 --> 00:04:04.169
think so many times, especially when you're getting
00:04:04.169 --> 00:04:06.430
into corporate leadership, like I spent so much
00:04:06.430 --> 00:04:08.610
time doing, is people tell you, oh, you have
00:04:08.610 --> 00:04:10.389
to act this certain way or be this certain way
00:04:10.389 --> 00:04:13.129
to get results. And so what that actually does
00:04:13.129 --> 00:04:16.610
is telling you that the way you are is not. acceptable
00:04:16.610 --> 00:04:18.970
or not valuable so you're working so hard trying
00:04:18.970 --> 00:04:21.810
to be this other person that you miss out on
00:04:21.810 --> 00:04:23.769
all the what i call the zone of genius right
00:04:23.769 --> 00:04:26.230
so you can't be as productive as innovative and
00:04:26.230 --> 00:04:28.230
creative as you'd like to be because you're too
00:04:28.230 --> 00:04:30.529
busy trying to be this other person in this box
00:04:30.529 --> 00:04:33.649
so what i think about authentic leadership is
00:04:33.649 --> 00:04:37.029
that it unleashes all of the true value that
00:04:37.029 --> 00:04:39.649
you bring to the organization, to your team,
00:04:39.790 --> 00:04:42.529
to yourself. And so it's important for you to
00:04:42.529 --> 00:04:44.689
be able to be authentically who you are, how
00:04:44.689 --> 00:04:47.029
you think, how you critically make decisions,
00:04:47.290 --> 00:04:50.470
how you bring your creativity to the work. And
00:04:50.470 --> 00:04:52.769
that's important on so many levels. So when you
00:04:52.769 --> 00:04:55.689
are actually authentic, you get much more done.
00:04:55.829 --> 00:04:58.250
You're much more effective. effective, and much
00:04:58.250 --> 00:05:00.350
more efficient. And so it's important for people
00:05:00.350 --> 00:05:02.990
to create processes and abilities so people,
00:05:02.990 --> 00:05:05.569
you can live your authentic life. So as a leader
00:05:05.569 --> 00:05:08.889
or supervisor or manager, your job is to remove
00:05:08.889 --> 00:05:11.250
the barriers from people so that they can do
00:05:11.250 --> 00:05:14.949
that authentic leadership. Yeah, that's so profoundly
00:05:14.949 --> 00:05:18.829
put. I go across and I teach everybody about
00:05:18.829 --> 00:05:21.110
authenticity. And first of all, authenticity,
00:05:21.350 --> 00:05:24.029
that word is being thrown around. It's, oh my
00:05:24.029 --> 00:05:27.829
God, I'm not ready. But being yourself. And I
00:05:27.829 --> 00:05:32.129
never heard it quite put that way where it's
00:05:32.129 --> 00:05:35.149
perfect. You have to be yourself and you have
00:05:35.149 --> 00:05:37.769
to allow yourself to go out and think outside
00:05:37.769 --> 00:05:40.689
the box. And you really can't do that when you're
00:05:40.689 --> 00:05:43.730
trying to be somebody else. Exactly. That's exactly
00:05:43.730 --> 00:05:47.610
right. I have to tell you, that was perfectly
00:05:47.610 --> 00:05:50.129
put. Thank you, Michael. It really was. Thank
00:05:50.129 --> 00:05:53.620
you so much. Okay. Many people network while
00:05:53.620 --> 00:05:56.459
trying to impress others. After all, that's what
00:05:56.459 --> 00:06:00.100
networking is. What changes when someone is comfortable
00:06:00.100 --> 00:06:04.550
enough to simply be themselves? First of all,
00:06:04.569 --> 00:06:07.149
I love that question so much. It gives you a
00:06:07.149 --> 00:06:09.689
chance to just listen. Because to me, anytime
00:06:09.689 --> 00:06:11.689
you're thinking about networking or partnering
00:06:11.689 --> 00:06:13.370
with somebody, you're listening for something
00:06:13.370 --> 00:06:15.310
that's a connection point for the two of you,
00:06:15.350 --> 00:06:17.410
right? Whether it's something that you have in
00:06:17.410 --> 00:06:19.290
common, maybe even interests and hobbies, because
00:06:19.290 --> 00:06:20.930
I like to talk about the person. I don't just
00:06:20.930 --> 00:06:23.810
say, who are you in terms of what you do? I'm
00:06:23.810 --> 00:06:25.670
like, who are you in terms of who you are? One
00:06:25.670 --> 00:06:27.689
of my favorite sayings is we are human beings,
00:06:27.750 --> 00:06:30.870
not human doings. And so just being has value,
00:06:31.029 --> 00:06:34.000
but the doing also adds to that. And so when
00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:35.839
I'm asking people questions, I really want to
00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:37.620
understand who they are. So when I make that
00:06:37.620 --> 00:06:39.980
connection point, I'm like, okay, that's good.
00:06:40.060 --> 00:06:42.600
Now we can connect on that level. And I'm continuing
00:06:42.600 --> 00:06:45.060
to be able to be a really good listener because
00:06:45.060 --> 00:06:47.040
that's the way you're going to be a great partner
00:06:47.040 --> 00:06:51.029
or a great business. say, I can meet your needs,
00:06:51.250 --> 00:06:53.149
you got to understand what those needs are. And
00:06:53.149 --> 00:06:56.050
if you don't perfect yourself as being a good
00:06:56.050 --> 00:06:58.350
listener, you'll never understand those needs.
00:06:58.490 --> 00:07:01.089
And so to me, that's what's so important is when
00:07:01.089 --> 00:07:03.389
you're comfortable in who you are, you can just
00:07:03.389 --> 00:07:06.230
listen and then be able to actually interact
00:07:06.230 --> 00:07:08.490
with that person in a way that really is meaningful
00:07:08.490 --> 00:07:11.930
to them. Absolutely. Let me ask you a question.
00:07:12.310 --> 00:07:16.250
What would you do if you go up to somebody and
00:07:16.250 --> 00:07:18.990
say, okay, what do you do? And they give you
00:07:18.990 --> 00:07:23.339
that canned 30 second elevator speech. So the
00:07:23.339 --> 00:07:24.959
first thing is, I don't even ask them the question,
00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:27.750
what do you do? I say, tell me who you are. And
00:07:27.750 --> 00:07:30.129
they want to immediately start with, I work in
00:07:30.129 --> 00:07:32.189
this job and I do this. And I said, not what
00:07:32.189 --> 00:07:35.069
you do. Tell me who you are. And so I always
00:07:35.069 --> 00:07:37.850
make that distinction to ask the very specific
00:07:37.850 --> 00:07:39.850
questions so that they understand what I'm trying
00:07:39.850 --> 00:07:42.370
to get at. Because that has opened up so many
00:07:42.370 --> 00:07:45.410
more doors for me networking, Michael, than asking,
00:07:45.470 --> 00:07:47.610
oh, what do you do? Because I don't want the
00:07:47.610 --> 00:07:50.529
canned answer. I want the authentic, what it
00:07:50.529 --> 00:07:52.529
is from the heart. What drives you every day?
00:07:52.589 --> 00:07:55.230
What wakes you up? Now, what's that purpose that
00:07:55.230 --> 00:07:57.589
you're living that makes a difference? And that's
00:07:57.589 --> 00:08:01.019
what I want to know about. Very good. Very good.
00:08:01.120 --> 00:08:06.379
Because what I teach is when I ask you that question
00:08:06.379 --> 00:08:08.560
and they give me a 30 second elevator speech,
00:08:08.699 --> 00:08:11.879
I said, OK, let's perfect your 30 seconds and
00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:15.079
we perfect it. Say, OK, now throw that out and
00:08:15.079 --> 00:08:18.360
bring it down to 10 seconds. That usually throws
00:08:18.360 --> 00:08:21.139
them for a loop. We get it down to 10 seconds.
00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:24.670
I said, that's great. Now throw it out. Because
00:08:24.670 --> 00:08:29.069
I want to know the feeling that you give to the
00:08:29.069 --> 00:08:33.309
other person about what you do. And that tells
00:08:33.309 --> 00:08:38.490
so much more than what you do. So I introduce
00:08:38.490 --> 00:08:40.850
all the different things. But that's really what
00:08:40.850 --> 00:08:44.970
I'm after is the feeling that I'm a public professional
00:08:44.970 --> 00:08:48.210
speaker. I'm an executive business coach. And
00:08:48.210 --> 00:08:52.309
what do I do? I turn conversations into clients.
00:08:52.909 --> 00:08:54.309
Without leaving money on the table. That's what
00:08:54.309 --> 00:08:56.470
I do. Yes. And then I'll tell you, oh, I'm a
00:08:56.470 --> 00:08:59.190
business coach. Sure. Fine. But that's what I
00:08:59.190 --> 00:09:02.769
love. Okay. Yes. Many people network while trying
00:09:02.769 --> 00:09:08.049
to impress others. What changes? Oh, I just asked
00:09:08.049 --> 00:09:10.429
you that question. That's silly, isn't it? That's
00:09:10.429 --> 00:09:14.850
okay. Let's go to number four. Okay. So living
00:09:14.850 --> 00:09:19.149
your truth sounds inspiring, but it can also
00:09:19.149 --> 00:09:22.559
be uncomfortable. Have there ever been moments
00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:26.039
when staying true to your values cost you an
00:09:26.039 --> 00:09:29.360
opportunity, yet ultimately led to something
00:09:29.360 --> 00:09:33.789
better? Oh, absolutely. I love this question.
00:09:33.830 --> 00:09:35.889
Probably the most of anything you've asked me
00:09:35.889 --> 00:09:38.470
so far. That's one of my favorite pieces because
00:09:38.470 --> 00:09:41.549
I think when you are your authentic self, you
00:09:41.549 --> 00:09:44.429
attract the power. The clients, the partners,
00:09:44.629 --> 00:09:47.070
those people who want to do business with you.
00:09:47.169 --> 00:09:49.909
I'm a very specific kind of brand. I tell people
00:09:49.909 --> 00:09:52.649
all the time, I'm a storyteller. I'm a very public,
00:09:52.990 --> 00:09:57.289
very loud, very dynamic storyteller. If you want
00:09:57.289 --> 00:09:59.190
somebody who's quiet and reserved, that's not
00:09:59.190 --> 00:10:01.570
going to be me. So anything about my branding
00:10:01.570 --> 00:10:04.090
does not look like that at all. So when I'm living
00:10:04.090 --> 00:10:06.970
my truth, I come out and I'm funny. I'm a little
00:10:06.970 --> 00:10:09.769
quirky, but I always come rooted in real data
00:10:09.769 --> 00:10:12.070
and lived experience. And so if people are looking
00:10:12.070 --> 00:10:14.259
for that, kind of interaction then that's what
00:10:14.259 --> 00:10:16.600
they get with me every single time like every
00:10:16.600 --> 00:10:19.529
single time which is around the brand. If you're
00:10:19.529 --> 00:10:21.710
building a brand, they need to have that experience
00:10:21.710 --> 00:10:24.370
every time they do with you or anybody working
00:10:24.370 --> 00:10:26.929
on your team. And so that is what's super important
00:10:26.929 --> 00:10:30.370
to me is that I live exactly what I say I am
00:10:30.370 --> 00:10:32.889
and people get that. And they keep coming back
00:10:32.889 --> 00:10:34.970
and I get referrals all the time. And that is
00:10:34.970 --> 00:10:38.490
the biggest honor for me is to have repeat business
00:10:38.490 --> 00:10:40.809
and referrals from those I've done business with.
00:10:40.929 --> 00:10:44.570
And that to me is the ultimate pinnacle of doing
00:10:44.570 --> 00:10:48.110
business and being a good business person. Absolutely.
00:10:48.269 --> 00:10:52.429
And you told me that you put humor into everything,
00:10:52.669 --> 00:10:57.230
as do I, because it's usually self -deprecating,
00:10:57.230 --> 00:10:59.029
right? Because I'm not going to make fun of somebody
00:10:59.029 --> 00:11:02.309
else. And when you turn it on yourself, they
00:11:02.309 --> 00:11:04.549
start laughing and they're not sure why they're
00:11:04.549 --> 00:11:07.049
laughing, but they're laughing at you as I join
00:11:07.049 --> 00:11:08.710
the party because everybody else is laughing
00:11:08.710 --> 00:11:11.919
at me also. Exactly. You make the room more fun
00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:15.259
and people become more interested and pay attention
00:11:15.259 --> 00:11:17.600
a little bit more. So yeah, that's exactly what
00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:20.649
I do also. Very good. Yes. And it delivers humanity.
00:11:20.990 --> 00:11:23.190
First of all, we want to everybody know, hey,
00:11:23.289 --> 00:11:25.889
I'm human. I'm not robot. So if I mess up some
00:11:25.889 --> 00:11:27.309
words or something, one of my favorite things,
00:11:27.389 --> 00:11:28.929
if you as a public speaker, you probably know
00:11:28.929 --> 00:11:31.769
I was saying something and a whole bunch of spit
00:11:31.769 --> 00:11:33.230
just flew right out of my mouth. And I'm like,
00:11:33.289 --> 00:11:35.129
front row, if you didn't expect the second shower
00:11:35.129 --> 00:11:37.710
today, I'm so glad I was able to meet that need
00:11:37.710 --> 00:11:40.210
for you. So it's like you just say stuff like
00:11:40.210 --> 00:11:42.230
that because you want to. It's human to do that.
00:11:42.289 --> 00:11:44.669
So you just humanize it all. And it makes people
00:11:44.669 --> 00:11:47.700
feel a lot more comfortable. Absolutely. I have
00:11:47.700 --> 00:11:50.000
to tell you, there was one time I was on stage
00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:52.700
and it was just about a stage that was about
00:11:52.700 --> 00:11:55.919
a foot and a half high and then the room. And
00:11:55.919 --> 00:11:59.919
as I'm speaking and talking, that stage collapsed.
00:12:00.919 --> 00:12:03.259
Right. And I went down about a foot and a half.
00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:05.559
I was still standing about a foot and a half
00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:10.340
and everybody was like, I said, I'm feeling mighty
00:12:10.340 --> 00:12:14.649
low. I owned the situation. I got out of it.
00:12:14.669 --> 00:12:17.549
And I went on with the show. And that was really
00:12:17.549 --> 00:12:20.850
it. And afterwards, the event planners came up
00:12:20.850 --> 00:12:23.029
to me and said that was perfect. They apologized
00:12:23.029 --> 00:12:25.629
and everything, but it was perfect. That's wonderful.
00:12:26.110 --> 00:12:29.309
Love that. Do you believe people are attracted
00:12:29.309 --> 00:12:33.889
more to confidence, competence, or authenticity?
00:12:34.769 --> 00:12:38.070
Which one creates the deepest trust over time?
00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:42.679
That's such a great question, Michael. And I
00:12:42.679 --> 00:12:46.559
honestly think it might be. Based on the situation,
00:12:46.940 --> 00:12:48.659
I was having this conversation actually just
00:12:48.659 --> 00:12:51.240
last week about confidence and walking in your
00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:53.779
confidence. And you could be confidently wrong
00:12:53.779 --> 00:12:57.059
in a lot of cases, right? You can walk in and
00:12:57.059 --> 00:12:58.899
you can present yourself as knowing what you're
00:12:58.899 --> 00:13:00.840
talking about and you sound good, but you're
00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:03.679
literally making stuff up. So I think that's
00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:05.779
a challenge. But people look at that as maybe,
00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:07.299
oh, do they really know what you're talking about?
00:13:07.460 --> 00:13:08.899
You need to do a little bit of investigation,
00:13:09.159 --> 00:13:11.440
right? And then the confidence. competence piece
00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:13.659
to me is you can be competent what you're doing
00:13:13.659 --> 00:13:16.340
but you're a little timid to share it so there's
00:13:16.340 --> 00:13:18.519
a piece of this like oh i don't know if i can
00:13:18.519 --> 00:13:20.279
really trust this person because they're i know
00:13:20.279 --> 00:13:21.899
this is true but i'm not sure and they're not
00:13:21.899 --> 00:13:23.539
looking at you and they're looking down you're
00:13:23.539 --> 00:13:26.440
like so that doesn't really show it to me authenticity
00:13:27.690 --> 00:13:30.190
brings both of those together. If you're confident
00:13:30.190 --> 00:13:32.309
in knowing, hey, I really know this, or hey,
00:13:32.389 --> 00:13:34.149
I don't know this at all. I need to research
00:13:34.149 --> 00:13:36.610
this. I think that's a beautiful thing. And when
00:13:36.610 --> 00:13:38.830
you show up in that authentic way saying, this
00:13:38.830 --> 00:13:40.669
is what I do really when I'm really competent
00:13:40.669 --> 00:13:43.149
in this, but then this is what I know I do really
00:13:43.149 --> 00:13:44.929
when I'm confident in it. So that authenticity
00:13:44.929 --> 00:13:48.149
to me brings both of them together in a marriage
00:13:48.149 --> 00:13:50.870
that is exactly what people need to build the
00:13:50.870 --> 00:13:55.009
most trust. Yes, absolutely. And you hit it when
00:13:55.009 --> 00:13:57.889
you said you can be confident not knowing what
00:13:57.889 --> 00:14:00.269
you're talking about, but you can be confident.
00:14:00.350 --> 00:14:03.470
But then that chisels away your authenticity.
00:14:03.870 --> 00:14:07.309
Yes. So it chisels it away a little bit. So you're
00:14:07.309 --> 00:14:10.210
right. Authenticity brings about all three together.
00:14:10.450 --> 00:14:13.090
And so that's a very good answer. Thank you.
00:14:13.149 --> 00:14:17.610
In today's AI driven world where polished content
00:14:17.610 --> 00:14:21.110
is everywhere. Do you think authenticity has
00:14:21.110 --> 00:14:24.570
become one of the rarest and most valuable leadership
00:14:24.570 --> 00:14:29.450
qualities? I really do. I struggle with this
00:14:29.450 --> 00:14:32.029
one so much because when I talk to a lot of my
00:14:32.029 --> 00:14:34.230
clients, they're like laying people off saying,
00:14:34.289 --> 00:14:37.090
we got to make room for AI. And I say, AI is
00:14:37.090 --> 00:14:40.200
a - tool, y 'all. It's not to replace people.
00:14:40.340 --> 00:14:43.120
It's to help them be more effective, more efficient,
00:14:43.179 --> 00:14:45.799
and to focus on the things that they do best,
00:14:45.960 --> 00:14:47.940
right? There will never be a time we don't need
00:14:47.940 --> 00:14:50.620
human skills. There will never be a time that
00:14:50.620 --> 00:14:53.700
we don't need human skills. And so I appreciate
00:14:53.700 --> 00:14:55.980
what AI can do. To me, it's just like a Google
00:14:55.980 --> 00:14:57.940
search, or if you're old enough to understand
00:14:57.940 --> 00:15:00.000
Encyclopedia Britannica, when you used to get
00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:03.159
those subscriptions, there are tools to help
00:15:03.159 --> 00:15:06.019
you understand how to develop arguments, how
00:15:06.019 --> 00:15:07.840
to gain more knowledge. and to be able to do
00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:11.059
your job more effectively. And so for me, AI
00:15:11.059 --> 00:15:14.679
is just the tool. And what we have to do is continue
00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:17.600
to help humans know how to utilize that tool
00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:20.399
to the best of their ability so that their authenticity
00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:22.879
can shine, where they can take away some of those
00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:25.580
more mundane, menial tasks that take so much
00:15:25.580 --> 00:15:27.940
of their time and effort and burns people out,
00:15:27.980 --> 00:15:30.980
honestly. And now you can really focus on that
00:15:30.980 --> 00:15:33.860
value that you're bringing to not only the organization,
00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:37.659
but to the clients that you serve. I'm so glad
00:15:37.659 --> 00:15:41.200
that you said AI is a tool, right? Because it's
00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:43.639
just a quiver in your arrow and it's a tool.
00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:46.500
And you don't have to get rid of people. You
00:15:46.500 --> 00:15:49.980
can make the people who are there better and
00:15:49.980 --> 00:15:53.720
be more effective. So instead of hiring another
00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:58.299
person, the people there can do more with less.
00:15:58.500 --> 00:16:03.039
So I frown upon employers that are getting rid
00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:07.009
of people. To bring in AI tools because it is
00:16:07.009 --> 00:16:10.610
a tool, as you said. Yes, that's exactly right.
00:16:10.710 --> 00:16:12.450
Because I don't know any person in construction
00:16:12.450 --> 00:16:14.549
that leaves a hammer on the table and says, OK,
00:16:14.629 --> 00:16:16.149
that hammer is the tool that's going to do everything.
00:16:16.529 --> 00:16:19.789
No, it's not. That's right. That's right. That's
00:16:19.789 --> 00:16:22.649
a very, very good analogy. I'm going to write
00:16:22.649 --> 00:16:25.129
that down. As a matter of fact, a carpenter,
00:16:25.210 --> 00:16:28.370
a construction worker, it's a tool. It's like
00:16:28.370 --> 00:16:30.190
you can't lay it on the table and say, OK, go
00:16:30.190 --> 00:16:32.889
to work. Exactly. It's not going to do anything.
00:16:33.009 --> 00:16:35.990
You've got to be the one behind it. So very good.
00:16:36.450 --> 00:16:40.230
Okay. What's the difference between attracting
00:16:40.230 --> 00:16:43.789
a large network and attracting the right network?
00:16:44.009 --> 00:16:47.490
And how can someone tell when they're building
00:16:47.490 --> 00:16:51.929
relationships that truly fit their values? I
00:16:51.929 --> 00:16:53.789
love this question too. You come up with some
00:16:53.789 --> 00:16:55.370
really great questions, Michael. I'm loving this.
00:16:55.529 --> 00:16:59.009
I think about the influencer market that we're
00:16:59.009 --> 00:17:00.970
in right now, right? So you see so many people
00:17:00.970 --> 00:17:03.009
on social media that's like, I'm an influencer
00:17:03.009 --> 00:17:05.269
and I have 100 ,000 followers, so you should
00:17:05.269 --> 00:17:07.730
just trust me. And I'm like, okay, that's cool,
00:17:07.789 --> 00:17:10.609
but how did you get those 100 ,000? And then
00:17:10.609 --> 00:17:12.750
what is the value that you're giving it in? But
00:17:12.750 --> 00:17:14.329
what is also the value they're giving back to
00:17:14.329 --> 00:17:16.390
you? Because if I had 100 ,000 followers, and
00:17:16.390 --> 00:17:18.210
I'm not mad at anybody who has 100 ,000 followers,
00:17:18.410 --> 00:17:20.529
there's no way you can make authentic relationships
00:17:20.529 --> 00:17:23.269
with 100 ,000. thousand people. There's zero
00:17:23.269 --> 00:17:26.769
way. Zero way. And most of it is just noise.
00:17:26.990 --> 00:17:29.710
But if you, again, come back to having, I have
00:17:29.710 --> 00:17:33.349
10 people that have got my back, that understand
00:17:33.349 --> 00:17:37.190
me, that see the value that I bring, those 10
00:17:37.190 --> 00:17:40.170
are the multiplier factor that you need. And
00:17:40.170 --> 00:17:42.289
to me, that is the most important. How can you
00:17:42.289 --> 00:17:45.650
go deep as much as you can, not necessarily wide,
00:17:45.829 --> 00:17:48.390
but you can go wide and deep to a certain amount,
00:17:48.470 --> 00:17:50.970
but not everybody. And so really understanding
00:17:50.970 --> 00:17:53.029
first and foremost, what is it you're actually
00:17:53.029 --> 00:17:56.200
going after? ask the right questions first to
00:17:56.200 --> 00:17:58.940
understand the outcomes that you want. And then
00:17:58.940 --> 00:18:01.099
I always work backwards. Okay. If this is the
00:18:01.099 --> 00:18:03.660
outcome I want, what are the steps I need to
00:18:03.660 --> 00:18:06.039
do to get there? And so I try to trace that back
00:18:06.039 --> 00:18:08.819
to one, I say. And so that is the most important
00:18:08.819 --> 00:18:11.440
thing is first and foremost, decide what is the
00:18:11.440 --> 00:18:13.920
outcome you actually want with that network and
00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:16.259
then work your way backwards to think how is
00:18:16.259 --> 00:18:20.309
the most effective way I can get that done. That's
00:18:20.309 --> 00:18:24.390
a very good. That's a financial and a marketing
00:18:24.390 --> 00:18:27.329
tool that you always look at your end results.
00:18:27.470 --> 00:18:30.410
Okay. That's how I got here. That's what I want
00:18:30.410 --> 00:18:34.009
to do. How can I get there? And you dissect it
00:18:34.009 --> 00:18:37.150
right down to, okay, I have to get three clients
00:18:37.150 --> 00:18:40.230
this week, right down to that point. So that's,
00:18:40.230 --> 00:18:44.490
and I use that all the time. So you're hitting
00:18:44.490 --> 00:18:47.329
it right on the nail, right on the head. Thank
00:18:47.329 --> 00:18:50.730
you. Okay. When you've built your strongest partnerships.
00:18:51.690 --> 00:18:54.710
What mattered more in the beginning, shared goals
00:18:54.710 --> 00:18:59.930
or shared values? Oh, 100 % shared values. It's
00:18:59.930 --> 00:19:03.230
always to me, you got to appreciate and respect
00:19:03.230 --> 00:19:05.509
the people that you're working with. it brings
00:19:05.509 --> 00:19:08.269
so much more to the table. And I will tell you
00:19:08.269 --> 00:19:11.869
from examples of me working in those larger matrix
00:19:11.869 --> 00:19:14.910
companies, we worked with some folks that I feel
00:19:14.910 --> 00:19:18.490
like were some suspect and shady and I didn't
00:19:18.490 --> 00:19:21.150
like doing it, but I was beholden to a corporate
00:19:21.150 --> 00:19:23.809
paycheck. So I did what I had to do. But as a
00:19:23.809 --> 00:19:26.210
business owner, I get to make a different decision.
00:19:26.450 --> 00:19:28.750
And I say, these are the values and I wear them
00:19:28.750 --> 00:19:31.210
loud and proud on my sleeve, on my website, everywhere.
00:19:31.309 --> 00:19:33.390
So people know what they're getting into as soon
00:19:33.390 --> 00:19:36.119
as they. connect with me or see me anywhere on
00:19:36.119 --> 00:19:38.519
social media. And so that's the first thing.
00:19:38.599 --> 00:19:40.680
So I'm going to ask them, how do you treat your
00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:42.660
people? First and foremost, I'm human centered
00:19:42.660 --> 00:19:45.140
and I'll tell people that 100%. I'm not just
00:19:45.140 --> 00:19:47.500
about the financial aspect. How are you treating
00:19:47.500 --> 00:19:49.240
your people and how are you helping them with
00:19:49.240 --> 00:19:51.559
the financial aspect of their lives? And if we
00:19:51.559 --> 00:19:54.039
mesh there, then we can continue the conversation
00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:56.779
about what the mutual goals are that we have
00:19:56.779 --> 00:19:58.519
for each other and how we can help each other
00:19:58.519 --> 00:20:03.049
get there. Hey, all right. All right. I like
00:20:03.049 --> 00:20:07.089
that answer too. This is great. Okay. How do
00:20:07.089 --> 00:20:10.349
leaders create environments where people feel
00:20:10.349 --> 00:20:13.990
safe enough to be honest, vulnerable, or fully
00:20:13.990 --> 00:20:17.779
engaged instead of simply performing? Absolutely.
00:20:17.980 --> 00:20:20.339
First, they lead by example. I always tell my
00:20:20.339 --> 00:20:22.480
leaders, I said, the most important ways that
00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:24.859
you can show up as a leader is through vulnerability,
00:20:25.319 --> 00:20:28.380
humility, and authenticity. And if you know something,
00:20:28.460 --> 00:20:30.099
say you know it. If you don't know something,
00:20:30.140 --> 00:20:32.380
say, I don't know that, but I can find out. People
00:20:32.380 --> 00:20:36.279
love truth and they love humanity. So all of
00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:38.720
us, as we know, we're flawed as humans. So just
00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:41.359
saying, hey, I don't know, but. Together, we
00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:43.660
do know. And I think that's the biggest piece
00:20:43.660 --> 00:20:46.839
is always people want things done with them,
00:20:46.859 --> 00:20:49.259
not to them. So when you address it with your
00:20:49.259 --> 00:20:51.299
team and say, hey, we have this problem we need
00:20:51.299 --> 00:20:54.150
to solve. I have this much information, but I
00:20:54.150 --> 00:20:56.210
know each of you have information as well. How
00:20:56.210 --> 00:20:58.309
can we bring all the relevant information together
00:20:58.309 --> 00:21:01.130
to make a solution that we can all work toward
00:21:01.130 --> 00:21:04.309
together? That buy -in means so much to folks.
00:21:04.490 --> 00:21:06.950
They really say, oh, you value what I bring to
00:21:06.950 --> 00:21:10.289
the table. I'm not just a task doer. I'm actually
00:21:10.289 --> 00:21:12.869
a part of seeing the success of this organization.
00:21:13.289 --> 00:21:15.789
And so when leaders are able to create that kind
00:21:15.789 --> 00:21:17.950
of environment where it's two -way communication,
00:21:18.190 --> 00:21:20.710
two -way communication, and that everybody is
00:21:20.710 --> 00:21:23.490
involved in it, decision -making, that is so
00:21:23.490 --> 00:21:26.109
important. And that doesn't mean abdicating your
00:21:26.109 --> 00:21:29.410
responsibilities as a leader for leading the
00:21:29.410 --> 00:21:32.250
team. It's saying, I need input from all of you
00:21:32.250 --> 00:21:34.670
to make the best decisions that we can move forward
00:21:34.670 --> 00:21:39.170
together. That was very good. And I noticed that
00:21:39.170 --> 00:21:42.650
you constantly use the word leader instead of
00:21:42.650 --> 00:21:46.609
boss. Yes. Okay. Because there is such a difference
00:21:46.609 --> 00:21:49.670
between being a leader and being a boss. And
00:21:49.670 --> 00:21:53.599
part of my workshop that I do, It brings that
00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:56.000
into it, the difference between being a leader
00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:59.440
and a boss. And you always say you want to be
00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:03.079
a leader instead of a boss. A boss, you can go
00:22:03.079 --> 00:22:07.039
on the street and find a boss, right, to regurgitate
00:22:07.039 --> 00:22:10.599
your policies. But to be a leader, that's so
00:22:10.599 --> 00:22:13.099
different. You have to be part of that. But yeah,
00:22:13.180 --> 00:22:16.920
so before I give you the last question, if your
00:22:16.920 --> 00:22:20.039
network became a mirror of your character tomorrow,
00:22:20.650 --> 00:22:24.799
What would you be proud of that reflection? I
00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:28.740
would be so proud of how we think about not only
00:22:28.740 --> 00:22:31.079
ourselves, but each other. Whenever we make a
00:22:31.079 --> 00:22:33.140
decision, we're like, how is this going to impact
00:22:33.140 --> 00:22:35.819
the greater good, the greater world, our team?
00:22:35.900 --> 00:22:38.259
You start with yourself as a small circle and
00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:41.220
it's, okay, myself, then my team, then my company,
00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:43.579
then my world, right? So I always think about
00:22:43.579 --> 00:22:45.480
the ripple effect. If you throw a stone in the
00:22:45.480 --> 00:22:48.240
water, it starts small and it ripples out. And
00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:50.839
that's what I always think about in terms of
00:22:50.839 --> 00:22:53.700
how my... my network looks at me and reflects
00:22:53.700 --> 00:22:56.859
me and I reflect them is how do we start small
00:22:56.859 --> 00:22:59.799
and let that ripple effect multiplier just continues
00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:02.599
to go out so that everybody can win. It's not
00:23:02.599 --> 00:23:04.960
a win -lose situation. It's a win -win all the
00:23:04.960 --> 00:23:08.930
time. Very good. Very good. Okay. So let's bring
00:23:08.930 --> 00:23:12.250
this podcast full circle. If someone listening
00:23:12.250 --> 00:23:15.089
wanted to build a network that reflected the
00:23:15.089 --> 00:23:19.109
person that they aspire to become, not just the
00:23:19.109 --> 00:23:22.410
career they hope to have. What would you encourage
00:23:22.410 --> 00:23:26.650
them to start doing today? I would encourage
00:23:26.650 --> 00:23:28.829
them number one to start doing wherever you are.
00:23:28.910 --> 00:23:31.500
Are you in a company? Have you talked to your
00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:34.359
team? Have you talked to teams that are completely
00:23:34.359 --> 00:23:36.859
right adjacent to you? How have you built relationships?
00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:39.900
Not just about, hey, I need a transaction. I
00:23:39.900 --> 00:23:41.900
need you to do this thing for me. How have you
00:23:41.900 --> 00:23:44.460
built a relationship? And those kinds of things
00:23:44.460 --> 00:23:46.940
are super important. I come from a hospitality
00:23:46.940 --> 00:23:48.960
background and I say there's a difference between
00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:51.579
hospitality and customer service. Customer service
00:23:51.579 --> 00:23:53.740
is transactional. Hospitality is relational.
00:23:53.980 --> 00:23:56.799
We're building long -term relationships. So I'm
00:23:56.799 --> 00:23:59.799
always practicing hospitality. And I think everybody.
00:24:00.109 --> 00:24:03.329
has the ability to do that, you have to put your
00:24:03.329 --> 00:24:05.869
hand out first and say, hi, I'm Law Baker, and
00:24:05.869 --> 00:24:08.410
I want to get to know you and how you work and
00:24:08.410 --> 00:24:10.730
how you think. And I want to be able to see how
00:24:10.730 --> 00:24:13.410
can we partner together to us be successful together.
00:24:13.589 --> 00:24:16.410
And when you say that, that opens up a whole
00:24:16.410 --> 00:24:19.049
nother door for people to be able to like, oh,
00:24:19.210 --> 00:24:21.890
okay, let's talk a little bit. Let's share and
00:24:21.890 --> 00:24:24.109
let's build together. Because it's not about
00:24:24.109 --> 00:24:27.839
extraction. It's about how do you actually build
00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:33.210
each other and grow together now you said law
00:24:33.210 --> 00:24:37.349
baker you don't use lachandra i do but most of
00:24:37.349 --> 00:24:39.329
my people just because i'm just i'm so simple
00:24:39.329 --> 00:24:41.269
i'm just i'm just regular all the time michael
00:24:41.269 --> 00:24:44.380
so people just call me law most of the time OK,
00:24:44.380 --> 00:24:46.680
I want to make sure, because if I was calling
00:24:46.680 --> 00:24:49.460
you something wrong this whole time and you didn't
00:24:49.460 --> 00:24:51.839
say anything. OK, I just want to know you're
00:24:51.839 --> 00:24:53.839
not at all. Just people just once you get more
00:24:53.839 --> 00:24:55.900
familiar with me, it just calls me law. So you
00:24:55.900 --> 00:24:57.799
can call me law going forward, Michael, because
00:24:57.799 --> 00:25:01.079
we're familiar with each other now. Thank you
00:25:01.079 --> 00:25:04.079
very much. Thank you. Well, I want to thank you
00:25:04.079 --> 00:25:07.140
so much for coming on the podcast, because. This
00:25:07.140 --> 00:25:10.940
was extraordinary. We are so much on the same
00:25:10.940 --> 00:25:15.779
level thinking -wise that it's uncanny. But listen,
00:25:16.039 --> 00:25:18.779
if somebody wanted to get hold of you, either
00:25:18.779 --> 00:25:21.700
to be mentored by you, to be coached by you,
00:25:21.819 --> 00:25:25.779
or just to say hi, how would they do it? Absolutely.
00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:29.519
So my website is LBB edutainment because it's
00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:32.200
my initials LBB and edutainment because we're
00:25:32.200 --> 00:25:34.759
the juxtaposition of educating and entertaining
00:25:34.759 --> 00:25:37.500
like yourself. We bring that together. And then
00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:40.920
I'm all all socials at LBB edutainment so they
00:25:40.920 --> 00:25:44.359
can find me anywhere. Absolutely. This was so
00:25:44.359 --> 00:25:48.119
inspiring. OK, the biggest takeaway, the strongest
00:25:48.119 --> 00:25:51.200
relationships are built by trying to impress
00:25:51.200 --> 00:25:54.720
people. They're built by. being genuine enough
00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:58.380
to people to trust you. If you enjoyed this episode,
00:25:58.579 --> 00:26:01.400
follow, subscribe to Networking Unleashed, Building
00:26:01.400 --> 00:26:04.019
Profitable Connections for more conversations
00:26:04.019 --> 00:26:07.180
on networking, communication, leadership, and
00:26:07.180 --> 00:26:10.220
business growth. And if this episode made you
00:26:10.220 --> 00:26:13.019
think differently about relationships, make it
00:26:13.019 --> 00:26:16.180
with somebody who believes success begins with
00:26:16.180 --> 00:26:19.170
authenticity. If you're looking for a keynote
00:26:19.170 --> 00:26:22.589
speaker or executive communication coach to help
00:26:22.589 --> 00:26:24.789
your organization build stronger relationships,
00:26:25.049 --> 00:26:28.910
communicate with greater impact, and create meaningful
00:26:28.910 --> 00:26:32.650
business connections, visit michaelaforman .com.
00:26:32.890 --> 00:26:36.410
So until next time, remember, your network isn't
00:26:36.410 --> 00:26:39.430
built by collecting contacts. It's built by earning
00:26:39.430 --> 00:26:43.049
trust, living your values, and becoming someone
00:26:43.049 --> 00:26:46.710
people are proud to know. La, I will tell you
00:26:46.710 --> 00:26:50.099
again. This was a great podcast. Thank you so
00:26:50.099 --> 00:26:56.279
much for having me, Michael. Oh, I would like
00:26:56.279 --> 00:26:59.819
to welcome you to the Fusion Alliance Business
00:26:59.819 --> 00:27:04.299
Expo 2. That's right. We're having another networking
00:27:04.299 --> 00:27:07.480
expo. Now, this one is going to be even better
00:27:07.480 --> 00:27:10.480
than the first one in March. This one is October
00:27:10.480 --> 00:27:14.859
22nd, held at Iphone Restaurant and Event Center,
00:27:15.059 --> 00:27:20.500
6000 Medlock Bridge Parkway, Georgia. This is
00:27:20.500 --> 00:27:23.119
your chance. This is your chance to showcase
00:27:23.119 --> 00:27:26.299
your business, connect with the community, and
00:27:26.299 --> 00:27:30.079
gain unmatched exposure. This event is designed
00:27:30.079 --> 00:27:33.460
to highlight your thriving business and is a
00:27:33.460 --> 00:27:36.579
must -attend gathering for most local leaders
00:27:36.579 --> 00:27:41.119
and entrepreneurs. So now, what is there going
00:27:41.119 --> 00:27:43.200
to be? First of all, it's free admission to the
00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:46.650
public. So come one, come all. There's going
00:27:46.650 --> 00:27:49.130
to be a large audience to see your business.
00:27:49.390 --> 00:27:52.309
You're going to gain new customers, build your
00:27:52.309 --> 00:27:55.329
brand, and establish strategic partnerships.
00:27:55.869 --> 00:27:58.970
So whether you're looking to gain new customers,
00:27:59.329 --> 00:28:02.869
build your brand, or establish strategic partnerships,
00:28:03.609 --> 00:28:07.730
Business Expo 2 is the place to be. Don't miss
00:28:07.730 --> 00:28:10.529
your chance to be part of this exclusive annual
00:28:10.529 --> 00:28:15.230
showcase of Johns Creek's best businesses. Remember...
00:28:15.269 --> 00:28:19.630
It's October 22nd. Remember that. October 22nd
00:28:19.630 --> 00:28:23.589
between the hours of 11 a .m. and 4 p .m. The
00:28:23.589 --> 00:28:27.990
location, 6000 Medlock Bridge Parkway, Johns
00:28:27.990 --> 00:28:32.589
Creek. You can go to the website and it's www.
00:28:35.009 --> 00:28:39.569
FusionAlliance .info. F -U -S -I -O -N -A -L
00:28:39.569 --> 00:28:44.230
-L -I -A -N -C -E .info. You can get all of it
00:28:44.230 --> 00:28:46.730
there. You can be a vendor. You can be a sponsor.
00:28:46.970 --> 00:28:49.809
Or if you want, you can just come on and enjoy
00:28:49.809 --> 00:28:52.490
it. So come on down. Everyone else is going to
00:28:52.490 --> 00:28:56.710
be there. And just enjoy yourself. All right,
00:28:56.769 --> 00:28:59.750
folks. A huge thank you to our guests for sharing
00:28:59.750 --> 00:29:03.000
such incredible insights today. And of course,
00:29:03.019 --> 00:29:05.920
a big shout out to you, our amazing listeners,
00:29:06.119 --> 00:29:08.859
for tuning in and spending your time with us.
00:29:09.119 --> 00:29:12.420
If you're interested in my digital courses, being
00:29:12.420 --> 00:29:15.160
coached, or having me come and talk to your company,
00:29:15.380 --> 00:29:18.799
just go to Michael and fill out the request form.
00:29:19.380 --> 00:29:22.640
Remember, networking isn't about being perfect.
00:29:22.839 --> 00:29:25.920
It's about being present. So take what you've
00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:28.779
learned today, get out there, and make some meaningful
00:29:28.779 --> 00:29:31.700
connections. If you've enjoyed this episode,
00:29:31.900 --> 00:29:34.859
please don't forget to subscribe. Leave us a
00:29:34.859 --> 00:29:37.460
review and share it with someone who could use
00:29:37.460 --> 00:29:40.579
a little networking inspiration. Let's keep the
00:29:40.579 --> 00:29:43.599
conversation going. You can find me on Apple,
00:29:43.720 --> 00:29:48.559
Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or my website, foreman
00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:50.960
.com slash podcasts.
