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Speech Transcript (very little editing so not exact)

Unknown Speaker  0:00  

Hi I’m Yonason Goldson, Director of ethical imperatives with my new friend Scott Ferguson. And if you really want to level up, please listen to our conversation. I mean, Scott has so much energy made me energetic, more than I usually am. And we had a great discussion about ethics values and the purpose of life.

Unknown Speaker  0:18  

Time to shine today pockets Firstly, squatter to Scott Ferguson Ward, Episode 227, with my really good friend, Jonas Singh goldson, from ethical imperatives, and I have pages upon pages of notes. That again, this is a free masterclass from Jonas in man is well traveled man is well versed. He’s just amazing. So I’m just gonna kind of shut up and get right into the interview. So sit back, relax, again, break out your notebooks, because here comes my really good friend, Jonas and goldson. From ethical imperatives. Let’s level up.

Unknown Speaker  0:58  

Time to shine today podcast varsity squad. This is Scott Ferguson. And I got my good friend here that was referred to me by a really good friend of mine finian, which you’ve heard his show, he rocked the mic, but Jonas and goldson. He works with leaders to create a culture of ethics that builds trust, sparks initiative and drives productivity. He’s a director of ethical imperatives, LLC. He’s a TEDx speaker, community, Rabbi recovered hitchhiker, which you have to go to his about page and read the story about this. This guy is fantastic. And he’s an author of hundreds of articles in six books, applying ancient rabbinic, he’s going to correct me in this rabbinic wisdom to the modern secular world. And I’m going to have a giveaway at the end. So make sure you stay on and hear the story and the knowledge nuggets that Jonas is going to drop I’m gonna have a giveaway for grappling with the gray book that will be signed by my good friend Jonas. And so Jonas, and thank you for coming on. Please introduce yourself the time to shine today. podcast varsity squad. But first, what’s your favorite color? And why?

Unknown Speaker  2:05  

My favorite color is sky blue. Sky Blue. Why is that? Well, the sages tell us that blue reminds us of the sea and the sea reminds us of the sky and the sky reminds us to the kingdom of heaven. Yes. So that seems to be an extra step in there. Why do you have to go from the sea to the sky? Because everything physical is a reflection of some deeper spiritual truth. While we train ourselves to look at the world, that way, we won’t get caught up in the in the illusions and the deceptions of the material world will will remain connected to the more important fundamental truths that make life worth living.

Unknown Speaker  2:44  

That’s squat, he just came super strong right up to start it. So I knew this was gonna go here. I love this guy. And you have to check out his YouTube channel, if they everything will be in the show notes. Don’t go there now. But make sure you hear the story. So let’s get this story here, Jonas and with the kind of the hitchhiking and how it really, that kind of the base of stuff kind of started into where you’re such a go giver and helping people level up.

Unknown Speaker  3:10  

I don’t know if I’ve been called that before. But I appreciate that. My graduated from the University of California with a degree in English. What do you do with a degree in English? I don’t necessarily recommend you do what I did. But mine and I went hitchhiking cross country for half a year went backpacking across Europe for half a year. And then I ended up in Israel, where Much to my surprise to an unlikely series of events. I ended up in a rabbinic seminary rabbinic college. If you’re not know what that is, neither did I. But it changed my entire life I reconnected with not really reconnect I connected with my Jewish roots and my Jewish heritage. And I discovered this vibrant culture of deep thought profound wisdom and, and really committed community. Stay in Israel for nine years met, my wife had a first two kids. And then I started on my career as a high school teacher, teaching high school teaching the values that I had, I had learned and discovered to young people so that they could have the access to the wisdom that that changed. My life inspired me. So I taught for one year in Budapest, Hungary. Two years in Atlanta, Georgia in 20 years in St. Louis, where I live now and in 2016, I retired from teaching and I started my business as a speaker and trainer and coach. Helping professionals recognize why good ethics is good business. Are you bilingual or trilingual? Or what’s your story? I try to be lingual. I I I can get by in Hebrew if I really have to. I’m not not terribly adept. I God gave me the capacity for one language really well and that’s English. Me too. So where did you grow up and you So, in Chi, to the extent I grew up, I grew up in Los Angeles. I escaped after high school. Okay. went to college in Northern California. Got it, and then been around the block couple of times since then.

Unknown Speaker  5:13  

Was your family deep into the Jewish for lack return? Like lifestyle religion?

Unknown Speaker  5:18  

Not at all. Okay. All right. I never had a bar mitzvah ceremony. Neverland, the Aleph base, the alphabet really had no I mean, I know it was Jewish. I knew it meant something. But I couldn’t have articulated why it was important. I haven’t studied anything about it. And so discovering who we are, I mean, you know, we talk about that a lot. Sure. We all want to find

Unknown Speaker  5:42  

we all want to find ourselves, our roots. Absolutely. Well, the reason I ask is like, I’m from Detroit area, and like West Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills is a really big Jewish community, like probably 40 50% of my friends growing up are Jewish. I just wonder if there’s a big community that you grew up with them? They’re out there, so excellent. So you understand what do you think makes a great ethical leader? Well,

Unknown Speaker  6:06  

I like to use the acronym ethics, that an ethical leader is somebody who feels empathy. That’s the right to know your people know, their pain, know, their joy, their hopes, their fears, their desires, the T is trustworthiness. And that means not only that you are trusted, but you are willing to trust others. The H is humility, which Rick Warren tells us, humility is not thinking of less of yourself as thinking of yourself less. And it’s the willingness and the say, I don’t know, I might have been wrong. Asking for input from others. So everybody feels like they’re contributors. The the eyes, inquisitiveness, always having that sense. We all want to be learners, lifelong learners. There’s always more to learn. And everybody knows something you don’t. Yes. The see is courage. Because sometimes, you know, and being inquisitive and many were wrong, that makes us feel vulnerable. Sharing power, empowering others, right? Yeah, strong person to do that. And the answer is self discipline, because this is not a checklist that you go down and mark off all the boxes. process, they have to go through again and again and again.

Unknown Speaker  7:18  

Wow, that’s strong, that the acronym that you that you that you use, that’s beautiful. So when you’re starting to work with either young people or a new group of people, now you handle people one to one unison, are you more group? Well, you know, when

Unknown Speaker  7:35  

when I, when I taught, it was obviously a classroom. I also work with people individually, still, in my professional life, I love the keynote. I mean, that’s my passion. There’s nothing like standing in front of a large group of people, giving them giving them information, inspiring them, entertaining them and giving them a takeaway. The best comment I ever gotten an evaluation was I didn’t look at my cell phone once.

Unknown Speaker  8:00  

You, you carry that stage, man. I’ve watched your YouTube videos and you’re you’re great you interact with people, it’s almost like you’re being empathy, you’re first he in the ethics is like you’re looking through their eyeballs to you. And I really appreciate that from a fellow speaker, because that’s one of the first things that I learned was actually paying them while I’m up on stage and seeing that. So thank you for being awesome at that. So when you’re starting to work with somebody, maybe one to one, Jonas, and if you have any secret sauce, you don’t mind sharing about maybe helping them find their blind spots. Um,

Unknown Speaker  8:36  

you know, it’s so hard to generalize. But it all starts with listening. You know, it’s so easy to hear something. quickly identify, Oh, I know what the problem is. Yes. And you have to let people talk. Yes, sir. You have to have conversations and just let let it flow for a while. Because very often, the real problem will emerge gradually. Over time, very often, we don’t know what our own problems are. And it’s that it’s that process of this process of exploration. You know, I was in a taxi cab once in Israel. And my, my, my, one of my friends was sitting the front seat, I was with a few other friends in the backseat. And the driver. He just he had an attitude. He didn’t like us because we were religious. And he was, you know, going off. And I was just thinking, Okay, just take us where we want to go, please go please. My friend in the front seat. He he wanted to engage him. And you know, the back and forth back and forth. I’m just listening to this. And then just as we’re stepping out the door of the cab, the cab he gets, he gets to the heart of the issue. What are all this anger comes from and all this animosity. had to drag my friend out. He didn’t want to we didn’t want to

Unknown Speaker  9:59  

finally got there.

Unknown Speaker  10:02  

I love that. So when you’re working with a client, or maybe even before you’re still in the discovery period you want to send Is there any good question that you wish they would ask you, but never do?

Unknown Speaker  10:18  

That’s really interesting. Um, gosh, I think that what it what it comes down to so many of us we get caught up in what we think is success. And my definition of success is fulfilling the potential that we have, in a way that contributes to a better world. Wow. So I suppose the question would be what is my unique talent? What is my unique potential? Yes, what am I in the world for? And the answer is never to make money. Never. Exactly. It’s a good thing. I’m all in favor of making money. But that will come more naturally if we are aligned with our own purpose. Wow.

Unknown Speaker  11:22  

Yes. Yeah, that I got notes squatter, you better be taking them because that’s just magical. That’s those knowledge nuggets are just that’s the question. I thought of that before I saw that. You just brought that out to me. That you, buddy, you answer like a rock star. Because a lot of people when I ask that question, unison are like deer in the headlight. They’re like, Oh, you know, they are you know, it’s like, a lot of times it’ll be me in a coach. I wish people would ask me what I think that I expected them. Sometimes, but what you just said with, you know, the unique talents, you know, aligned with your own purpose. In also your definition of success is fulfilling potential we have in a way that contributes to a better world. That’s all just solid, solid gold knowledge nuggets. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for sharing that. So you understand Have you ever seen the movie Back to the Future? Yes. Okay. Let’s go back with Marty McFly. Let’s get in that that DeLorean? Let’s go back to the 22 year old Jonas? And what kind of knowledge nuggets would you drop on him to maybe help them level up quicker shorten his learning curve or blast through?

Unknown Speaker  12:34  

Maybe slow down. I’ve always felt this impatience to get to the next thing. And so sometimes when I get to the next thing, I’m not quite ready for it. No, I

Unknown Speaker  12:49  

enjoy the journey a little bit. Right and enjoy the journey is true. It’s it’s a cliche, but cliches are usually cliches are great. The book I’m actually writing is called regurgitate. But that’s how I really the book, right? And it’s all about nobody’s invented anything. I mean, if you look at the big names like Tony Robbins, he’s just regurgitating his own way. Jim Rohn and Jim Rohn Earl Nightingale all the way back to the stoics. Right? So that’s, you know, cliches would be so you understand, how do you want your dash remember that little line in between your incarnation date and your expiration date? How do you want Jonas’s dash, remember?

Unknown Speaker  13:28  

So I was teaching in Atlanta. I always my thought I was using the Socratic method. Ask questions, show students that they can get to the answers on their own. And one time I was due to the very bright girl exasperated, she’s, why can’t you just tell us the answer? Get there enjoyed it. And so I suppose what I like like it to say is

Unknown Speaker  13:57  

He made us think, Wow,

Unknown Speaker  14:01  

wow, that’s awesome. Thinking going on. I’m thinking in this, this whole conversation. And it’s making me level up as I’m sitting here trying to write as fast as the Knowledge Nugget you’re dropping. So thank you again, man. Um, then what keeps you up at night unison. Aside from having caffeine too late in the day. I’ll catch myself at like 230 in the afternoon enjoying a coffee. I’m like, man, they’re just waiting for this. I gotcha. I think

Unknown Speaker  14:35  

it’s the the illusion that I’m in control. Okay. You know, the only thing we really have control over our own choices and our own responses. We don’t have control. We don’t have control over. Over agile. You mentioned the DeLorean Back to the Future. You remember the story of john DeLorean? Yes, he was the president of General Motors and he left to start this car. Our company and everybody said he’s going to make a fortune. Yes. And it sure looked that way. Until it came a recession, everything went south. And things did not end up so, so well for him. Right? He did everything right. Yes, sir. But events outside his control came along, nothing he could have done, right. So our job is not to achieve the outcomes. Our job is ultimately to you know, in Judaism, we have this phrase, tikkun olam, the chances is repair the world. And people think that means go save the rain forces, rain forest, go save the whales. It means I am the world that I’m responsible for. And my job is to perfect myself as best I can to affect all the repairs to make myself into the best version of myself. I can

Unknown Speaker  15:57  

love that. I love that. So what was your definition of responsibility, then?

Unknown Speaker  16:03  

responsibility? definition? Wow, that’s, that’s interesting. I always thought responsibility was so self evident, didn’t need to be defined, but the definitions are useful. Let me turn it around for a moment. Um, my definition of ethics, which is another word we don’t really understand what we use is the discipline of recognizing and taking responsibility for the impact our actions have on others. Yes, sir. And when it comes to responsibility, you hear you hear politicians all the time. Right? I take responsibility for the Well, yeah, and what are the consequences? Right, right. Right. Responsibility means that if something goes wrong, I’m going to do whatever’s in my power to fix it. I

Unknown Speaker  16:50  

love that. I love you know, my coach him for a little bit. And my one of my mentors, you know, Rod Harrison said, responsibility is rooted right in the word itself. It’s the ability to respond, respond, I like it. Oh, I love that. And you mentioned we have control over our emotions and our responses. So right there is like my new definition for responsibility. I got Scott, from you. So thanks again, man. So what do you think, Jonas and people misunderstand about you the most?

Unknown Speaker  17:18  

You know, the the opening line of my TED Talk is, I am a religious fundamentalist. And as I deliver that line with it with a very sort of stern face, and there is dead silence in the auditory. Right. And then I stepped forward, broke into a smile said, I know that’s a dangerous way to start a talk. Everybody go back thinking,

Unknown Speaker  17:40  

we had to fight again, empathetically, I’d be looking through their eyes. I mean, some people probably didn’t even understand what you meant by that, you know, and other people are like a cast. So like you got so that’s awesome. That’s awesome.

Unknown Speaker  17:54  

And so that’s moment for me, was when I finished and I came out and a woman intercepted me in the hall and she said, You know, when you got up on that stage, I knew exactly what kind of person you were. And I know exactly what kind of talk you were going to get. And you just blew away all my expectations. Thank you. And that was that was priceless, isn’t it? Yeah. Because you know, we are so caught in our labels and our stereotypes, we don’t actually see people so you can be the VA devoutly faithful person and still have a sense of humor and still respect every human being yeah garlis of their beliefs lifestyles. Sure.

Unknown Speaker  18:33  

Absolutely. So you don’t listen. Let’s take out of the equation our computer our cell phones tablets, what are three things people places or things three nouns that Jonas and can’t live without? That’s what’s my family. My community and nature. It was quick in convicted I love that. I love that. Hey, time to shine today podcast varsity squad. We are back with my good friend Jonas sin. And you want us and we have a leveling up lightning round you and I’m going to ask you five or six questions you and I can ease you and i i know cannot wait to have coffee with you. And I’m in St. Louis. If you drink you do drink coffee. Just we won’t drink it late. Um, you and I could talk an hour on each one of these questions, but you got five seconds with no explanations. You’re ready. You can do it. I promise. Okay. All right. Here we go. Let’s level up. What’s the best leveling up advice? Jonas’s ever received.

Unknown Speaker  19:37  

Always have something insightful to say when you go into a gathering

Unknown Speaker  19:44  

of it and you do that you open the stage when that’s beautiful. share one of your personal habits that contributes to your success.

Unknown Speaker  19:51  

I get up at 530 every morning, get dressed and I wear a tie every day of the week.

Unknown Speaker  19:57  

So other than your own website Jonas and goldson calm and of course time to shine today calm my shameless plug. What website Do you like to go to to level up?

Unknown Speaker  20:08  

Well, I’m, I’m almost embarrassed to say this, or surprised to say this, but I say YouTube. Love it. I think, Google. That’s what they say, when I was asked that. All the data from all the garbage that’s there, there’s so much value that you can look for. And you’re discerning, it’s

Unknown Speaker  20:26  

priceless. Absolutely. You know, I compete in Jiu Jitsu, and for years, and you know, I wish I had these videos now. I would have had so much more in my repertoire. That’s awesome. So you see me like man, Fergie’s just not looking right. He’s in his doldrums. So outside of your book, what book would you be handling me? Book of Proverbs. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I proverbs is the bat I read proverbs every single day. Okay, there’s 31 chapters squat. And you know this, I did a whole podcast on it. 31 chapters, most some months have 31 days. So other than February and the other days and 30 you have to read an extra chapter a day in the month. But man, it’s like I wake up every single day and read proverbs every day. You know, send you a copy of my book on Proverbs. I love it. I love it. I can’t wait to dig into that. So when you text Jonas, what’s your most commonly used emoji? Prayer hands. And Don’t lie to me on this rabbi. All right. So if you can stay one age physically for the rest of your life, keep all the knowledge you’ve garnered and still continue continue to gain knowledge. What age physically? Would you stay for the rest of your life?

Unknown Speaker  21:46  

That is an interesting question. I guess I guess, when I was in my early 30s. Yeah. Wait, not done yet. When I was in my early 30s, I was diagnosed with a heart defect that had been undiagnosed from the time I was born. So after they fix that, then I was in better health than I’ve ever been. So I’d say about 35. I

Unknown Speaker  22:11  

love it. I love it. Thank you for saying that. And being honest. Because I’m 28 to 32. That’s, that’s my age where right now I’m still very active, but like in my squad and my friends. No, I’m exactly outside here of this podcast. Like I am everywhere. But I wish I just had that energy physically hit 32. Okay, so

Unknown Speaker  22:31  

chess or checkers? Oh, either.

Unknown Speaker  22:39  

Yeah, I’m not really. So is there a favorite charity and organization like to give your time or money to?

Unknown Speaker  22:46  

Uh, yeah. It’s called high lifelines. It’s a it’s a camp for children who have serious medical conditions to give them, you know, a joyful experience in spite of their circumstances.

Unknown Speaker  23:01  

I’m going to tell my producer get that, that link that you just mentioned, so we can throw it in the show notes. Excellent. And last question. You can elaborate on this one a little bit. Jonas and but what is the best decade of music 6070s 80s or 90s? Well,

Unknown Speaker  23:18  

might be the only thing that the decades best for but I’d say probably the 70s 70s

Unknown Speaker  23:23  

Yeah, I’d love this. I mean, minds me of going back I was born in 72. So it kind of reminds me of going back to my mom and dad you know, during that time because just kind of growing up and dancing around in there. So So Jonas and how can we find you?

Unknown Speaker  23:39  

Um, my websites a good place, which is my name Jonas and goldson. Y o na s o n g o LD s o n calm and I’m very active on LinkedIn. So I encourage people to connect with me there.

Unknown Speaker  23:50  

Yes, you are very active in his fantastic squad. He wrote a book it looks like it dropped in October of 2020. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t read it yet. But it’s called grappling with the gray and ethical handbook for personal success and business prosperity. And I’m going to give a free copy autographed by my good friend Jonas in here to the first person that puts in grappling, make sure they are grappling to either a Twitter comments a YouTube comments, LinkedIn comment, if you put grappling in there, I’ll know that you listen this far, and I will make sure that you get the Hancock version of my good friend Jonas’s book here and I can’t wait to dig into it as well. And Yoda said I need you to do me one last favor, please. Can you please leave me with one last Knowledge Nugget in the squad work one last Knowledge Nugget you want us to take with us internalize and take action on

Unknown Speaker  24:46  

that as long as you gave me that very nice plug for my book. I like to say there is no app for being ethical. No app for being ethical.

Unknown Speaker  24:58  

That’s strongest.

Unknown Speaker  25:00  

Let’s confuse what’s legal with what’s ethical. And they’re completely different. I mean, things are black and white. They’re relatively simple, but most of life is grappling with those gray areas. Yes. And so you can’t just follow the compliance rules. You just can’t follow the laws. It’s the spirit of the law. It’s it the but reading between the lines, it’s evaluating every situation individually, that’s going to bring you to the ethical conclusion if you want to, and if you develop that capacity to think ethically see ethically and act ethically,

Unknown Speaker  25:34  

that’s amazing. And everybody we’ve just gotten a free that’s fr double e masterclass my good friend Jonas and gold, golden. I mean, he opened it with the sea sky in heaven. You know, that just go back and re listen to how we open this podcast. You know, and everything is a reflection of our spiritual truth. You know, he brings an ethics with an acronym for he is empathy T is trustworthiness. H is humility is inquisitiveness. C is courage. And so self discipline, fantastic, dude, I learned so much from that squad with that. And then he finds blind spots and the people that he coaches up in levels up by listening, he’s not only listening with his ears, but he’s listening with his eyes, he’s listening for your nonverbal actions. That’s the kind of guy that my good friend unison is, you know, you don’t want you to get caught up. In chasing success. You want you to fulfill your potential we have in a way that contributes to a better world. You know, ask yourself what your unique talent is, and align with your own purpose, once you to slow down a little bit, still be progressive, still be ambitious, but enjoy that journey a little bit. You know, we only have control really over our emotions and responses. And our job is to be responsible for our own world. And if we make our own world good, it’ll reflect on others to help them level up as well. And lastly, he said there’s no app for being ethical and that it’s awesome. And you’re awesome. You’re awesome. you level up your health, you level up your wealth. You’re a go giver, you’re always progressing. You’ve earned your varsity letter here at time to shine today. Thank you so much for coming on my friend. Thank you, Scott. It has been a real pleasure. Awesome talk soon. Hey, thanks so much for listening to this episode of time to shine today podcast. Proudly brought to you by Southern Nugent 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 flash guest. If you liked this episode, please subscribe on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, I Heart Radio or wherever you get your podcast. There’s a link in the show notes to our website. Also there you will see our recommended resources. We hope that you will support our show by supporting them. If you like what you’ve been listening to, if you’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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