Ryan Leak joins the show to talk about his new book Leveling Up: 12 Questions to Elevate Your Personal and Professional Development. Of the dozen questions leaders can ask themselves to improve, one stood out: “What’s it like to be on the other side of me?”
Ryan says that asking employees to answer the question, and providing a safe space in which to do so, are “desperately needed” in many workplaces.
“We’ve all worked for the leader who did not know what it was like to be on the other side of their emails, on the other side of their reply-alls, on the other side of their scheduling and on the other side of their rants,” Ryan pointed out. “We all have to ask this question. ‘What’s it like to be on the other side of my leadership, my parenting, being married to me?’”
If experience has taught Ryan anything, it is that too many leaders come to the conclusion (or delusions!) that what it’s like to be on the other side of them is awesome. “To which, I would reply, ‘Are you sure? Are you positive? When was the last time you checked in with somebody else to verify your attitude?’” said Ryan.
Ryan credits basketball with teaching him how to overcome his fear of failing and reach outside his comfort zone in order to obtain useful feedback. An All-American basketball player at NCAA Division III North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ryan never saw professional basketball as a realistic career option, but it nagged him that he never tried. So, he took the bold step of writing emails to every NBA franchise asking for a tryout. Of those, only one, the Phoenix Suns, granted him one. He didn’t make the team but he used the experience to show others how chasing failure just might lead you straight into the arms of success.
In the podcast, listeners will be inspired by Ryan’s thinking and emboldened to emulate his self-improvement tactics.
You will learn:
"Don is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met. I’ve known him for a long time and every time we talk I walk away wiser and more inspired. He is the best in the business at teaching you a skill – storytelling – that will last you a lifetime.”
“The ability for athletes to get hired is carried on through you because you are putting out the message that lessons learned from sports are important in life. It is embedded in this podcast, what you’re doing is significant.”
We speak the same language. I am inspired by the stories you tell, the people you have met, and the things you’ve done. Those of us that are competitors like to follow others that have been down that journey, so it is always fun talking to you!”
“Many of the leaders I have worked with were excellent athletes, and I think there is a direct correlation. You’re one of the few people that really has pursued this study, Don. Keep up the great work. What you are doing really makes a difference.”
“Don, you have mastered the skill of interviewing and asking great questions. That is a great skill all leaders need in order to understand their team members’ thought processes.”
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