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Speech Transcript (very little editing so not exact)

Oak! Please introduce yourself to the time to shine today podcast varsity squad. But first, what’s your favorite color? And why?

Unknown Speaker  2:49  

My favorite color is blue, blue. I just love it. It’s a calming color. And like you I am. I’m a Christian as well. And it’s a calming color for me. And I live right on the ocean. I love the blue water.

Unknown Speaker  3:02  

So the navy blue.

Unknown Speaker  3:03  

No, not Navy.

Unknown Speaker  3:06  

I love it. I mean, I know that you’ve been you know, from the cadets since 81. You serve like in some sort of uniform in service to our country. Thank you for that until 2009 Can we get kind of into the roots of where you kind of started really built up this leadership and then be able to pass it on to build leaders of our future?

Unknown Speaker  3:27  

Yeah, so I always tell people, my leadership started. Leadership Experience started when I was a young man. I was always captain of my sports team baseball, basketball, football. I was student government president. I was class president. And really, it was my two people in high school besides my father, my father is certain I am who I am because of him. No doubt about it. But I also had two big influences in high school, my basketball coach, and my history teacher, I majored in history in college, and my basketball coach I keep I keep in touch with both of them still. And they were a huge influence on me during my high school years. And then I went off to West Point did not graduate from West Point. But I was there for two years, came home, ran my father’s business for about 18 months, helped him run his business and then now finished up in ROTC. And I was the battalion commander, had some leadership positions in ROTC. And then I came into the army. My first five years as an infantry officer my last 18 years as our armored cavalry officer and had a lot of leadership experiences. And, but I always tell people that I give. The other person I give a lot of credit for is my first platoon Sergeant, Sergeant First Class Penson, who has since passed since passed away. He went when I took over my platoon, I showed up they were already out at a lot. Just Monday live fire exercise. They were training to do this exercise in the afternoon. live fire dismounted, and I show up about lunchtime. He grabs me by the shoulder. He says come on over here, Lieutenant. He says let’s go Have an MRE underneath this tree and we went over then we sat down in history and we’re eating mra. And he said, Look, you’re the boss, you’re the officer, you’re the second lieutenant. We’ll do things however you want to do them. But having said that, I’ve been in the army 23 years, I was 24 years old. He’d been in the army 23 years, I’ve been in the Army almost as long as I’ve been alive, right? He says, If you’re going to do something stupid, I’m going to tell you, right, you still want to do it that way. We’ll do it that way. But it’s my job to tell you. And you know, every time I listen to that, man, and every time I’d start to do something, and I tell him what I was going to do he say, you really want to do that do it that way? And I’d say, Well, I thought I did. But let’s think about that.

Unknown Speaker  5:40  

That’s great. Man, you actually took the advice in I’m happy to hear that you did that just because, you know, we would, you know, go into Iraq or whatnot. We’re in certain situations and, you know, our our ii 67 would kind of take the young officer aside and kind of save some of them didn’t it put us in very precarious situation. I’m glad that that that comes from from the heart. And that’s beautiful. You did that. So when it when it comes to leadership at what is your personal definition of leadership?

Unknown Speaker  6:13  

Yeah, my person, I’m again, I’m a servant, leader. Guy. I believe that leadership is taking care of people. Leadership is about people. And anybody who doesn’t believe that or doesn’t understand that can’t be a good leader. It’s not about flowcharts. It’s not about money. It’s not about organizations, it’s about people. Now. Oh, I got it leaders got to make companies got to make money. And it’s, you know, the company’s got to be successful. Sure. But the way you do that, is you take care of people. And if you take care of people, and they really believe they have the trust, because you can’t lead people without trust. Yes, sir. And if they trust that you really do care about them, and that you have their best interests at heart, they will do anything you ask any fight.

Unknown Speaker  6:57  

Yeah, and they’ll follow you into battle. If they feel that trust and a lot of that comes. It’s funny, you say that? It’s not funny. It’s amazing. You say that because it’s about trust and respect actually speak about this on stage because if as I as I do, too, okay, so So if you were to come over with your, your, your bride, your wife, and you’re gonna come to my door, and and I’ve known you for a while oak, right, and you bring her, you know, I’m gonna hop off my chair, open the door, like, Hey, how are you? Okay, Mr. McCullough, you know it, can I get you a beer or something like that, you know, or come on in and this type of drink. But if you were to come to my door, right, and just you, it’s open, a fair got a beer, you know where it’s at? Right? Because I trust you. But I might not respect you. But if you can trust you, I would have to salute you, but I don’t trust you yet. Like, no, it’s beautiful. The you said that. So when you you in 2009? Did you start kind of getting into teaching other to be leaders to lead? Is that how it worked or what? So

Unknown Speaker  8:09  

my last assignment on active duty, I ran an Army ROTC program. So I was producing second lieutenants for the United States Army. And I, me and my boss help me and the guy my second in command, again, Master Sergeant, David Powell, who I say he worked for me, he was probably a better leader than I was, I mean, he was an awesome man still is, I mean, I still stay in touch with him. And one day, we were sitting there talking about what we were doing the importance of what we were doing, producing leaders, not only for the army, but for the nation. And he said to me, he said, No boss, great leadership handed down from generation to generation is what develops great nations. And I thought, Wow, what a powerful quote. I wish I could take credit for that. But I can’t it’s and edit. You know, the most powerful thing about that, Scott is this is that you can take that word nations, and you can change out anything you want for that compound, university, hospitals, sports team, fire department, police, doesn’t matter doesn’t change the meaning of that one bit, because every organization at every level needs good leadership.

Unknown Speaker  9:16  

Love it. And so when you’re maybe working with organizations, what are you finding, maybe even the discovery period is their blind spot when it comes to good leadership?

Unknown Speaker  9:30  

Yeah, I always find two things. Number one, communication. Everybody, you know, you go to an organization and you tell, ask the question, how good is communication in this organization? You want to answer you almost always get it? It’s great. But when you dig down into it, it isn’t. And communication is so important at all levels and all aspects. So it’s verbal and nonverbal communication, it’s emails, it’s memos, it’s text. It’s listening, which is the thing that we know have us do very well, or very few of us. But all those things are so important to really not only lead, but to get build that trust in people and start building that trust, and building that respect. Because you whether you like it or not, the way you communicate is a direct reflection of you. And people are going to make judgments about how about you, and how they, how you communicate. And the other aspect that I always find, that people that organizations have problems with is that trust piece you got lots of times you got leaders who want to lead from behind the desk. And I my number one advice to everybody who wants to be a leader is lead from walking around don’t lead from behind the desk.

Unknown Speaker  10:48  

Wow, that’s strong. So you go into a company, the CEO might say, Hey, man, this oak guy, I think we need him, you know, to bring in in have some ownership and some leadership that that comes through. And so you meet with the CEO, and he might introduce you to the CFO and the rest of the C suite people now. You’re He’s calling you in to teach them to lead their their squad of people? How do you deal with the egos of people that are going Dude, why is this guy even here? Like, you know what I’m saying? Like, and I’m picking your brain because it’s happened to me. And I fell on my face a couple times, you know, with with how to handle them. How do you handle that one person? Who is maybe ego driven? Like what the hell? Why? You know?

Unknown Speaker  11:39  

Yeah, well, we we all have egos.

Unknown Speaker  11:42  

I shouldn’t say handle. I’m sorry. Yeah. How do you work with?

Unknown Speaker  11:44  

Yeah, we all have egos. egos. I mean, I have one and every one of us do. And if you don’t, I don’t even want you on my team? Because I want people who who think they’re good. If you don’t think you’re good. Why should I think you’re good. I mean, we all need to have an ego, you just got to be able to control it and handle it and use it when it’s good. And don’t use it when it’s bad. And so the way I always handle that is I try to make sure everybody understands that. I’m no better than anybody else. I’m not sure. I keep trying to convince my wife that I am but she’s not buying it. Love it. You know, I always tried to start if I find somebody like that I always tried to start like, first of all, I tried to get one on one with them. And I just kind of tell them a story about something that I did that I screwed up. Ooh, just to make sure they understand, look, I I’m not perfect, I make mistakes. And that’s okay, we’re all gonna make mistakes. And I talk about that we’re all gonna make mistakes. I don’t care. If you made a mistake. I care about what you did after you made the mistake. That’s the key. Did you try to hide it? Did you try to blame somebody else? Or do you walk up to me and say, Hey, boss, I screwed up. And this is how we’re gonna fix it. Yeah. So if you bring come across that way that it’s not a zero defect, all of us are going to make mistakes, none of us are perfect, then you kind of put them at ease a little bit, you know, you’re not holier than now that’s going to come and point the finger and say, You guys are all screwed up. And I could do this better than any of you. Because, again, I had a boss who retired a four star general, he said, oak, if you didn’t make a mistake today, you probably didn’t do anything. Oh, I

Unknown Speaker  13:20  

love it. I love it in. That’s, that’s I love that you’re transparent and vulnerable. And that does help, you know, working with organizations and then giving them that lack of a better term on your side, but to be able to be working with you.

Unknown Speaker  13:34  

They understand that you’re not there to as an enemy, you’re there to help.

Unknown Speaker  13:39  

Right. Love it. Love it. So what is there any like when you’re starting to work with people in the in the get into to level up their leadership? Is there any good question that you wish they would ask you, but never do?

Unknown Speaker  13:56  

Oh, wow. That’s a great question. I don’t know that. I I’d have to think about that one. And I’m not.

Unknown Speaker  14:06  

And I asked never been asked that. But to think because if I’m working with a coach, I want to know, their lineage. Your lineage is already covered, man. It’s like 8109 You were in leadership, even before that is high school, you know, team captains and stuff like that. I love it. I love it. So then as a leader, oak, what do you think your strengths are?

Unknown Speaker  14:30  

Yeah, so I think my strength number one is that I’m a people person, that I actually do care about people. And, and I don’t try to fake it. I mean, I don’t have to think I really do care about people. And again, I had a boss who retired a three star general who, who kind of taught me that when I was a young captain, and and taught me how to make people understand that I really do care about them. And so it I was lucky in that sense. So I think that’s my number one strength, I think my other strength is, is that I do a good job of communicating with people, and especially listening to people. And again, I had a boss who taught me the importance of that, unfortunately, a little later in my life. But but you know, you’ve got to, you’ve got to really care about the people in your organization to do that. I think that’s the first step to being number one, a servant leader, and being a good leader,

Unknown Speaker  15:27  

you don’t know no matter what. Like, again, I am a Christian Jesus, best leader has ever walked the earth with no matter what you follow, even in other religions and whatnot, they’re their leaders come from servants. Yeah. And see if you I love it. So let’s dig into your weaknesses. What weaknesses Do you feel that you have that you’re overcoming? In that maybe that you might not ever overcome?

Unknown Speaker  15:52  

Yeah, well, I think again, we all have an ego and everyone’s willing, my wife has to flatline. And she, oh, she reminds me, you know, I’ll say something and she say, you know, you’re not perfect. either. You do you make mistakes you do. You know, so I, I always say, like, my wife is my is my best friend. And my best my greatest supporter, but she’s also my biggest critic, too. And that’s okay. Yeah. So you gotta have that person who does it. And I have an ego just like everybody else. And every once awhile it shows its ugly head. But But I think, I think that is, that’s probably, if I was gonna say that’s probably my biggest weakness is, is that every once awhile I forget, you know, I, I forget that. That I’m not perfect. And I do make

Unknown Speaker  16:45  

you strive so much for perfection. No one you’ll reach greatness if you do that. That’s right. No one’s perfect. But you’ll reach greatness a little Vince Lombardi for you.

Unknown Speaker  16:54  

Yeah. My favorite

Unknown Speaker  16:56  

right party quotes in in, but the thing is, is along the way, you have to get checked and I’m glad you said your wife’s name is Beth. Kelly, Kelly. Sorry, Kelly,

Unknown Speaker  17:05  

that she was a she was a Army nurse for eight. Okay, so we met each other in ROTC, and she

Unknown Speaker  17:11  

had to work with doctors, and we absolutely want them to have huge egos. They actually had a whiteboard. I wish I could turn my camera, I actually have YuGiOh edging God out. Like if you get to ego, you’re you’re pushing out your that’s great. I have to use it and follow it. So then have you seen the movie Back to the Future? Oh,

Unknown Speaker  17:29  

yeah. All right.

Unknown Speaker  17:31  

Let’s get that Dory with Marty McFly. Let’s go back to the double Deuce the 22 year old oak. Okay, I don’t want you to really change anything because you lived a frickin awesome life. But what might you drop on him a knowledge nugget or two to maybe help them shorten the learning curve? Last through maybe just a little bit quicker?

Unknown Speaker  17:50  

Yeah, I think the number one thing I would I would I would teach I would tell a 22 year old me is I would teach him how to listen better. Again, I got taught that. But I didn’t get taught that till I was about 35 years. Right. And, and if I had no net, when I was a 22 year old, I think it would have made a huge difference in love and only my development as a leader I would have developed quicker and better. Right. But also just as a person.

Unknown Speaker  18:22  

So with that being said, though, would he have listened?

Unknown Speaker  18:30  

Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, but if I had taught it the way that this guy. So it was a he was a lieutenant colonel and I was a captain. And I would go by him in the office, you know, in the hallway, you know, probably three days a week, we crossed paths. And and he he just taken over. And I just gotten there. So we renew. Both of us were new. And I was walking by him one day and he said, Oh, how are you? And I said fine. And I kept walking. He said, No, no, no, stop. Come here. How are you? I want to know. And so we sat there and talked and he asked me a couple of questions. And he said, and your wife’s name is Kelly right? How she doing? What does she do? And I told him, he says, and you got two kids. They’re both they’re playing soccer. They have a game this weekend. How’d they do? Wow, this guy is a busy man. He’s a lieutenant colonel, run it. And not one time did I see him look at his watch. Like he had some more better to beat and right. And he did that. Like, you know, almost every time I crossed the past with him in the hallway, he’d stop and talk to me. So maybe not that long, every time but you know, he’d always stop. And we’d actually have a conversation not just fine, how are you? I’m fine and keep moving. And I thought it was special. And one day I stuck my head out the door and he’s doing it to another captain. And so so he did he really care. He wanted to know people. And so that’s one of the pieces of advice I give every young leader. I have a little card that I hand out to young leaders. He’s got 10 things on it and you’re number one is If every day find out one thing knew about one person in your organization not about work about personal life, go find one person in your organization every day and find out one thing you will not love. You’ll see you’ll see the trust just explode my

Unknown Speaker  20:18  

gosh, I was just gonna say trust it grows off of that because people love to be heard because especially in it whether you’re climbing the corporate ladder, even the military, you’re you’re you go when they say go they you just you’re you’re that’s where I think a lot of my listening skills faltered as well, as I got out into civilian represent had to listen so much I felt liberated that I didn’t have to listen and follow directions as much but just come to find out what they instilled in me. works across the board. It does. Leadership is leadership. Right? Love it. Love it. So how do you want your dash remember that little line in between your incarnation date and your expiration date? Man? I anyway Dashrath Absolutely.

Unknown Speaker  20:58  

I tell people this all the time. You know what I I named the book your leadership legacy. And it’s not about me, it’s not about me what the things I did. That doesn’t matter if you’re really does it. The only things that matter that I did was raising two great young young man and a young young lady that’s and helping them to raise our grandkids that’s the only thing that really matters. Important to me and being a good husband. But my I want my legacy to be the people that I left behind my children, my grandchildren, the young men and women I helped develop into leaders so 2030 years from now when I’m not here, my legacy will still be with them for teaching them the things so they can pass on to the next generation great leadership handed down from generation to generation developed great nations. That’s what my that’s what I want my legacy to be and I help them develop that next generation so they can develop the next generation. Yeah, that’s

Unknown Speaker  21:56  

that’s fantastic. And it just keep going. So what do you think people misunderstand the most about you?

Unknown Speaker  22:03  

Yeah, I get this all the time. They say if you really believe in servant leadership, then then you let people walk all over us. You’ve been talking to me for 10 minutes. You think I let people walk on me? I don’t think so. That they don’t understand what servant leadership means. You don’t and and so people people kind of when I tell them I believe in servant leadership if they don’t know me, then I think the first thing that comes to their mind is that that I just let people walk all over me right? I don’t I don’t believe right

Unknown Speaker  22:34  

it’s it’s nothing about that. I mean, it isn’t even Jesus walked into the tax collectors and flipped the table on a mood I love it I love it. So then what is your definition of a life well lived of a way life well lived?

Unknown Speaker  22:54  

Yeah, so I think you know, I it’s not about money. Good luck we got we got to have money I got it and it’s it is important but that’s not what it’s about. For me it’s about a life well lived for me is helping people become better people and fishing. I like to fish

Unknown Speaker  23:14  

I love it and you live in a great area for fishing.

Unknown Speaker  23:17  

I do I got I have my my yacht my 17 foot John boat with a 40 horsepower engine so I go back in the mangroves and fish on as much as I can.

Unknown Speaker  23:28  

What do you like to go after little bass little fun

Unknown Speaker  23:31  

back there I go back for mangroves and, and some red fish and black drum.

Unknown Speaker  23:39  

Oh, nice. Nice. So let’s take out this equation anything electronic that we think that we can’t live without right but what are three things it can be people places or things three things that oh can’t live without?

Unknown Speaker  23:54  

Yeah, my wife. Absolutely. I mean, I am I am a better person because of her no doubt about it always sounds amazing. And and in my church God my faith that that end I’m a better Christian because of my wife as well. No doubt about that either. We’re both very active in the church and and happy to be with. That’s a huge part of our lives. And then And then the last piece is probably my grandkids. Love it. Love it. I love it. I got an eight year old granddaughter a five year old grandson and a two year old grandson.

Unknown Speaker  24:31  

Love it. What’s the biggest lesson you think you’ve learned from Kelly?

Unknown Speaker  24:37  

To hear here’s a perfect example. Yeah. To to care about to care about people. Even if you don’t know. When we get ready to go somewhere. We leave that condo we live in a condo 65 units. We leave at least five minutes early earlier than we have to because she wants to be able to stop to talk to people or allow people to talk to her if we meet them in the elevator, or if we meet them in the garage or whatever. She says, because that may be what they really need today is to talk to you. And and you need to be, you need to have enough time set aside, that you can stop and let somebody talk to you if that’s what they really need to do that. And I learned that and I’ll tell you the way I learned that was I was used to go grocery shopping with her and I did my husband, husbandly duty, you know, I push the cart behind her, and we stopped, we stopped, and she’s talking to this lady in the grocery store in the aisles, they talk probably for 10 minutes. And they got done. And we started going on who was that? I don’t know who that was, who was actually I don’t know, I just met her. But she, but she obviously wanted to talk. So I stopped and listened to her. Yeah. She taught me She has taught me that lesson. And I really do do that.

Unknown Speaker  25:55  

And that helps with what you do and leadership and did US companies to own it. And she probably by her doing that I’m thinking like, she helps even with stories that you tell with regards to the person that you worked for that wanted to know about your whole family. And it’s that’s just fantastic.

Unknown Speaker  26:16  

You know, and I do tell people that I tell people that story, I tell people that are leaders in businesses, for the for the main reason that they they need to do that, right. They need to make sure they got time set aside in the day. And this is what I tell them look and you know, I had a boss who taught me he taught me this I didn’t make this up I’m just a dumb farm boy, but he said he said oh, never ever, ever turned down a chance to get your own cup of coffee. Because I don’t care how high up in the organization you get no matter what rank you get never turned down a chance to get your own cup of coffee you did two things when you do that number one you show people that you’re human people don’t have to wait on you you can actually go get your own cup of coffee and number two, you get to stop along the way and talk to people on the way and back from the coffee pot right he said if you’re lucky you got two or three different ways you can go so that each time you go you go a different way and talk to yeah

Unknown Speaker  27:10  

it’s not like water cooler talk either so really level them up to see what’s going on in their lives especially

Unknown Speaker  27:16  

in their area not in your office right or area. Love it.

Unknown Speaker  27:20  

I love it love this this is fantastic I have so many knowledge and I just dropped me this beautiful time to shine did a podcast for us the squad we are back in Oak you and I are we’re gonna meet one day we live so close we have we do but we can talk about some of these questions 1520 minutes but within our leveling up lightning round You have five seconds with no explanations. Okay, you ready to rock? Sure. Awesome, sir. Here we go. What is the best leveling up advice oaks ever received?

Unknown Speaker  27:52  

Be yourself. Yes,

Unknown Speaker  27:54  

sure. One of your personal habits that contributes to your success. self discipline beautiful. So if you see me walking down the street man Fergie looks like he’s an adult jumps a little bit outside of your book the leadership legacy. What book might you hand me to level me up?

Unknown Speaker  28:11  

John Wooden on leadership?

Unknown Speaker  28:13  

Oh, my gosh, one of the best books I’ve ever read is book What’s your most commonly used emoji? If any, when you’re taxed

Unknown Speaker  28:20  

high don’t use emojis.

Unknown Speaker  28:21  

No worries. That’s why I said if any with you would nicknames growing up.

Unknown Speaker  28:27  

Okey,

Unknown Speaker  28:28  

okey got it. Just checkers or monopoly chess. Right figure so awesome. Go to ice cream flavor. The nella there’s a sandwich called the okie build that sandwich for me.

Unknown Speaker  28:45  

Ham, onions, tomatoes, and cheese.

Unknown Speaker  28:50  

eautiful. Love it. Love meat eaters. My favorite charity and organization like you give your time or money to St. Jude’s. Oh, thank you. Awesome. You know, I get books in the mail all the time. And I always am like, even if it’s 10 bucks. I do it. You know, I love

Unknown Speaker  29:05  

I had a sister who died of leukemia who I’m sorry mascara for free. So

Unknown Speaker  29:11  

best decade of music 60s 70s 80s or 90s

Unknown Speaker  29:15  

Wow. Probably 70s I would say I love

Unknown Speaker  29:19  

70s I have that 70s You know, I just turned 50. So I was a youngster in the 70s Right. But I still play that because my mom’s passed on. And she would always play these songs. And so when I’m actually editing in a podcast or you know, even just chilling out, I throw on the 70s but I’m 80s kid you know the big hair don’t care, guys. I love it. I love it. So oh, how can we find you my friend?

Unknown Speaker  29:42  

Yeah, so I’m on all social media. I’m on LinkedIn. That’s the main one I do. But I also have a Facebook professional personal Facebook, I’ve got Instagram, Twitter, but I also have a website. And if you you want to go on my website, you can see what presentations I give and And if you want me to come be do give a presentation for your organization, you can grab me there, I got my cell phone my email on there, you can there’s a link to my book, if you want that I’ll take you to Amazon so you can buy the book. But if you want a signed copy, then send me an email and we’ll figure out the best way to get you a signed copy.

Unknown Speaker  30:20  

That’s a great segue into the book. Let’s talk a little bit. Well, you know,

Unknown Speaker  30:23  

and I had I had somebody asked me, they said, why just let your book or your autograph it for me? And I said absolutely not. They said, why? And I said, because only famous people have autographs. I said, I’ll sign it for you.

Unknown Speaker  30:33  

Ah, love it. I love it. Well, let’s talk a little bit, but I think you dropped it in 2021. Right?

Unknown Speaker  30:40  

Yeah. So I started writing it on the 12th of on the 16th of February 2020. And I published it on the 12th of February 2021.

Unknown Speaker  30:49  

And we needed some leadership during that time, our front will leave it. Let’s dig into a little bit what what flows in the book, maybe give a a synopsis?

Unknown Speaker  31:00  

Yeah, so the underlying theme is servant leadership. And I talked about that throughout the book. But really, it’s, there’s no theory in my book whatsoever. You know, theory is important. And if you’re gonna want to be a good leader, you got to learn a little theory, I got it. But this is not about theory. This is about everyday things that everyday leaders can do to improve their leadership skills and their abilities. And it’s based on a lot of my stories, I’ve got other people’s stories in there as well, some friends and my wife and my kids and beautiful. But when a lot of it is on my stories about things that I did, and that I did well or didn’t do well and, and lessons learned and how to get better. And at the end of every chapter, or there’s some key points. And then some key takeaways. And then a note page that you have blank page that you can take notes on. I love

Unknown Speaker  31:53  

it. And squat, we’re going to do a book giveaway for the first person that that puts leave your legacy. And let’s just put leave your legacy because I know you’ve listened into any of our social, whether it’s LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, wherever you’re going to find this podcast, put leave your legacy in there. And I’ll make sure that I get a signed copy out to you from my good friend oak here. Absolutely. And we’ll get that out to you just as soon as you leave that comment, we’ll start the protocol. So Oh, give me one last salad and leave us with one last Knowledge Nugget that we can take with us internalize and take action.

Unknown Speaker  32:33  

Yeah, so I’ll tell you. So I was talking to a lady the other day yesterday, in fact, and she was talking about writing a book, and it didn’t matter. It’s writing a book or whatever that you’re trying to do. The number one piece of advice that I give people is stop thinking about it and do it. And, and you know, for me, you know, that somebody gave that to me when I was listening to a motivational speaker a very good one, in fact, and and I told him, I wanted to get out on the speaking engagement. And he said, so have you written a book? And I said, Well, not yet. I said, I’m thinking about it. And he looked at me, he said, we’ll stop thinking about it and do it right. And so that’s the night I went home and I wrote up my table of contents, and I started the book the next day.

Unknown Speaker  33:17  

Love it, love it, and I can’t wait I sadly haven’t dug into it yet, but I’m going to shoot just gonna pick up the Kindle version today. So I get into it. But squad we just had really a free masterclass from a rockstar leader, my good friend here, oak, you know, he started his leadership as a young man, he excelled in sports, you know, captaining the team, and really good role models, like his basketball coach is history teacher and also Sergeant First Class pensent. I believe I said his name right. But you know, he believes that taking care of people is leadership. It’s not about flowcharts or money. It’s about the people. He always stressed throughout our whole little chat here. That trust is paramount. If you can build the trust, people will follow you everywhere. And great leadership is handed down in that great leadership that is handed down, develops great nations and develops great companies and develops great teams. And again, we get back into the blank spot of things and that’s where communication and trust and he wants leaders to lead by walking around don’t lead from behind your desk. You know, my good friend oak isn’t afraid to show his vulnerabilities, even even his weaknesses. If it’s going to help the person he’s coaching to be a better leader. You know, he genuinely cares. He communicates fantastically. He listens, not only with his ears, but his eyes he leans in I was watching even when I was asking him a question. He listened to this neck he leaned in to really get it to formulate his answers and that’s something I really really respect that somebody you know, he wants you to go out and this is from Kelly go out his wife. Go out and learn something new about Someone everyday build your community be genuinely interested, you know, in care about people that you don’t know, that’s again also from his lovely wife, Kelly, you know, build that community with strangers. You know, if you’re working get up and get your own cup of coffee you know go out and have awesome conversations with people that whether you’re part of your squad or part of another club, just have genuine conversations and be genuinely interested in them. You know, he wants you to stop thinking and just do it you know, we get stuck in this analysis paralysis where we just start thinking and thinking we get froze you know, he had a gentleman that got him to write his books it just do it get out there and Nike that thing, you know, my good friend oak is planting trees. These never gonna sit in the shade up. And that’s the kind of people I love to align myself with, you know, will be the same person. Five years from now, except for the books you read in the people you associate with. I’m so glad that I get to associate with oh, he levels up his health he levels up as well. He’s earned his varsity squad letter here at time to shine today. I’m blessed to know you, my friend. I can’t wait to collaborate with you in the future. Absolutely.

Unknown Speaker  36:11  

Thanks for having me on your show. Scott.

Unknown Speaker  36:13  

You bet. chat soon. Hey, thanks so much for listening to this episode of time to shine today podcast. proudly brought to you by Southern New Jersey real estate real estate excellence, who can be reached at 561-249-7266 and online at www dot Sutter in nugent.com. If you’re a business owner or professional who would like to be interviewed on time to shine today, please visit time to shine today.com/guest If you liked this episode, please subscribe on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, I Heart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts. There’s a link in the show notes to our website. Also there you will see a recommended resources. We hope that you will support our show by supporting them. If you like what you’ve been listening to, it’d be great if you could just give us a five star rating and tell your friends to subscribe while you’re at it. I’m your host Scott Ferguson. And until next time, let’s level up it’s our time to shine.

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