Best-Selling Author Jon Gordon offers a new paradigm when it comes to understanding mental toughness, mental health, mental well-being, and how and why it pays to be positive. He starts with the why. “When we feel positive, we feel more powerful,” observed Gordon in the podcast. That makes perfectly intuitive sense.
But then comes the how, and it’s here that the paradigm begins to shift. In his most recent book, The One Truth: Elevate Your Mind, Unlock Your Power, and Heal Your Soul, Jon suggests that positivity is best understood not as an individual trait but as a social one.
“It’s understanding that everything comes down to oneness versus separateness,” Jon shared. “And so when we feel one and connected, we feel powerful. A team that is a united and connected team is a powerful team; a team that is divided and separate is a weak team.”
Connection has become even more important, and far more challenging, in the widespread shift to distributed workforces who no longer enjoy the chemistry that can come from proximity. “We are no longer all in the same office every day, which we used to think was so important in culture building and camaraderie,” he argued.
In the podcast, Jon said the responsibility is now on leaders to find new ways of keeping their teams better connected, and he offers some intriguing techniques on how they can do this, including:
"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.”
Sign up to receive Don Yaeger’s weekly leadership contributions, and be the first to listen to new Corporate Competitor Podcast episodes.