'Rise and Go': A Framework for Bold Leadership with Cory Carlson

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey, uncommon Leaders, welcome back. This is the Uncommon Leader podcast and I'm your host, john Gallagher, on this episode. Today, I have an insightful conversation with my guest, corey Carlson. Corey's a man of faith, an entrepreneur, executive, author and, notably, a committed husband and father of three. With a successful 20 year background in corporate America, corey saw the need to address the challenges and brokenness that surround work-life balance. Moved by his experiences, he transitioned into executive coaching, dedicated to helping other leaders succeed, both professionally and personally. Known for his candid and invigorating discussions, you'll hear that today for sure. Corey is equally passionate about empowering leaders through his books Win at Home First and the newly released Rise and Go, serving as inspirational guides amidst the highs and lows of leadership. At the end of the podcast, stay tuned for an exciting offer for all of our listeners to get a copy of one of Corey's books for free. Let's get started. What's up, corey? Corey Carlson, welcome to the Uncommon Leader Podcast. My friend, how are you doing?

Speaker 2: 1:05

John, I'm doing great today. Thank you for the opportunity. I mean we just now hit record and I've enjoyed the conversation so far. So thank you very much and looking forward to it.

Speaker 1: 1:14

I know I'm afraid I've used up all the good questions already, so they may come back to you again. We'll see how they go, because I don't have that many in me, but I will. I did sneak that one in there. I always have my first-time guests answer this question first, and that's tell me a story from your childhood that still impacts who you are today, as a leader or as a person.

Speaker 2: 1:36

There's a few different stories that I could think of and it could take it a few different directions. I've got stories right that kind of give me head trash to my life that I still have to wrestle with. I've got stories of obviously very positive experiences, but I'd say a big one that kinda there's so many spider webs that come out of this one story. But my mom died of cancer when I was in high school and I was 15 years old when she passed away and which obviously that's awful and all those things. But there's a lot of cool things that came about out of it, but also some challenging things From the good standpoint of it. My dad was an incredible model for me of how to win at home and win at work. I mean, that's kinda my big platform of, I believe, when leaders can win at work and win at home. Unfortunately, I've lost at both, but my dad modeled it really well At the standpoint. He had three kids, a wife that died of cancer and he had a demanding job. But yet I still can remember John. I feel like he. I played sports throughout all high school. I still feel like he was at every game. I know he had to miss some games, but I just I don't have a memory of him missing games. I don't have a memory of thinking, oh man, I wish my dad would have been around more. Somehow he was a salesman or sales manager for Chapstick, he did Heath candy bars and he even did Pop Rocks the can that fizzes in your mouth. Like all great companies had demanding territories, and one time even the whole country for Pop Rocks. But I just say all that I say is he had success at work, but at home, even with a sick wife and then eventually a wife that passed I remember him being around, I remember him being at my games, I remember conversations. I don't know how he did it, and so for me that's a story that's definitely shaped me of who I am, and so that's the positive. A negative out of that is it just felt like at times after my mom's passing and money going to chemotherapy and money. And then there's a part of just my dad did actually have a little span of unemployment in between a couple of jobs, and so I started to adapt this head trash or this lie that hey, it's all on me, because the money went off to chemo, the money went off to other things, and so if I'm gonna do anything in my life, hey, it's on me. And so for me that was hard, because at times it could be this unhealthy, striving for more because I've got to go do more things, and so that was a lie. But eventually, as I worked through it, as an adult I've learned more about how the church we grew up and stepped up to help us financially. Others helped up, stepped up, and so really understanding, john, that I'm not just a provider, god's a provider, and a phrase that I've really helped to kind of adopt is that I control the input, god will control the impact, and so that's been helpful for me. So just from that one story of having a mom that passed in high school, I got some great memories out of it, but then I had some negative that came out of it that have helped I still got to kind of work through to this day.

Speaker 1: 5:19

Sure, I bet. Now. I appreciate you sharing that and sorry if you're lost. I mean again, there are so many stories where this question starts, talking about a grandparent or a parent that that father lost or some way shape or form that has had an impact. And we talked about a mutual connection in Ben Newman, who uses his burn with regards to his mother passing away at a very young age and how it drove him to do something different. And it is those positive and negatives that frame us going forward. And I think you know, as you talked about your faith as well, in terms of you control, you control and God control the output. I love that in terms of hearing that and I can tell in reading your book Rise and Go, which we're gonna talk about a good bit today. I know it's your second book because you also talked about when at Home First, which was your first book. You know those are things that you know, those are types of situations, prepare you those stories to write the book, and I love some of the stories inside the book. So bring us to today. Then we had some things we talked about in common. We're both engineers, maybe different types. You're civil. I call you a concrete head. However, it works out. I got a couple of clients in concrete as well. I'm a mechanical engineer, but from civil engineer to national sales manager, to you know, executive coach around your own coaching company and a successful coaching company. Tell me a little bit about that journey. You can say as much as you want to about it.

Speaker 2: 6:43

Yeah, so a civil engineering degree and did civil engineering for a little bit and did that out of Kansas City and then I just didn't love it. I didn't like doing design sitting. You talk about concrete. I designed airfield pavements and just I remember doing like spot elevations like every 20 feet with another elevation is like is this really what I'm going to be doing? Great company, it was awesome. The bridge just wasn't for me. And I found a company that sold civil engineering products like bridges and storm sewer. Guy recruited me to go there and I was like man, this would be awesome, technical, but also sales. So I did that in Kansas City, had success through the territory, got promoted, moved to Denver, colorado, managed a bunch of people in states and then I got promoted to Cincinnati, which is where we live. When I got to Cincinnati I was VP of a hundred and 20 million dollar division and, john, I was a little bit in over my head. I was managing people older than me. I'd leapfrog my boss. I was now managing him and I was starting to have a little bit of a slip of. I was skipping the gym, I was skipping quiet time and I just was like there's got to be a better way. I mean, I can't do this. And I kind of knew of executive coaches but didn't know exactly all what it was. I went to my boss and said I needed help and he said, hey, getting executive coach, I've always had one. So I ended up hiring one and it changed my life. I know that sounds extreme, but one it's what I do for a living. But also I just became a better father, a better husband, a better leader, because I realized it wasn't just about the eight to five or just about the P and L is able to zoom out and kind of look at my whole life and look at some different things. I took one more corporate move where I was president of sales for a national contractor and I led almost like a coach. I was talking to him about the personal life and the professional life. Are they dating their spouses? Are they being intentional with their kids? Are they getting to the gym? But on the work side, are they blocking out time in their calendar to do business development or to do strategic thinking and kind of doing both. Because when I saw that they got better as parents and spouses, but also EBITDA improved our profitability of the company, I was like this is great, I'm going to do this for a living. And so that began the I want to go do this for a living, which fast forward. I made the jump from corporate to doing this full time and now I coach one-on-one or in group settings or speak to companies and my, you know, it's just, it's really trying to help business leaders win at home and win at work.

Speaker 1: 9:27

Love that and I love to hear as you say that that there is a way to win it both right. So you're you know your first book saying it win at home first. Put the big rocks in first, however you go through and talk about that, but you know, the key being that you can do both, that you don't have to sacrifice one for the other, that if you prioritize properly and you prioritize your time properly, you can get both those things done. You have to be part of that. You mentioned that in your, in your job on the sales side, you started to fall off on some of those disciplines, that discipline of taking care of yourself and that discipline of whether it was the exercise side or nutrition side. How, how, how was that executive coach able to be successful with you to, and then when, and then after that, when did you know that you wanted to do that kind of thing? So how, how did that coach get you to get back focused again and do your exercise every day and do your scripture reading every day? What was it?

Speaker 2: 10:24

Yeah, I think some, just like I do with my, my clients now and you do with your clients I mean someone's just like an assessment of, like the current reality, right as Jim Collins talks about good to great, great leaders confront the brutal facts, but you had to have an unwavering hope for the future. So, whether I did an assessment of like a, say, a SWAT, or we do four strategic questions, or you know some of the pieces, but I'm sure I had an answer that says I feel kind of just like fat and sluggish, I need to get the gym, kind of thing. I mean, I had some other items that I would have written, you know, written down, and I'm sure my coach did this. But this is like what I do with my clients as you do is like, all right, you feel sluggish, you need to get to the gym, let's get to the gym. What would make sense? Can you, you know? Can you do three times a week? Can you do five times? What can you do? You can do three, all right, Between now and the next time we talk, get to the gym three times a week, and so you just start to basically bring out whatever those kind of felt needs are that you've got to improve on as a coach and then you hold them accountable. And so, for you know, you hit on the physical capital one on the gym, and so that would have been one to start. All right, I got to start getting the gym because when my biology is right then I show up better. If I've got energy to go through the whole day, I don't feel sluggish, I feel energized. That's good, you know. On the spiritual one, where I know a big part, even you know back then with my coach, but even you know, present day, I mean, if I'm not spending time journaling, reflecting stillness, like I can just have this sense of wandering, I can have this anxiousness of the business, of a family, of just kind of everything. And so for me, I like to make sure that I'm getting my quiet time and so I work a lot without all leaders. I mean, I had a client who actually was not a believer they're an atheist. However, I still worked with his name's, peter, and it's not, you know, confidential, because I actually include the story in my first book. I went home first and it's just like but reflect, why did you lose your, why did you get frustrated in the board meeting the other day, why did you get you know, aggravated the way somebody said something to you. But for all of us just to reflect on the good, on the bad, why do we feel this way? Why do we react this way? Man, it just helps us become better leaders, and so those are some of the things my coach was helping me with was basically zooming out, zooming out and then, along the way, just providing new perspectives, new content, new tool.

Speaker 1: 13:19

Hey listeners, I want to take a quick moment to share something special with you. Many of the topics and discussions we have on this podcast are areas where I provide coaching and consulting services for individuals and organizations. If you've been inspired by our conversation and are seeking a catalyst for change in your own life or within your team, I invite you to visit coachjohngallaghercom forward slash free call to sign up for a free coaching call with me. It's an opportunity for us to connect, discuss your unique challenges and explore how coaching or consulting can benefit you and your team. Okay, let's get back to the show. Love that, the tools that keep you going and going forward. I got my first coach in 2003. I had a 10 year working relationship with that coach and still have a friendship with him today and it was life changing. I didn't know what it meant to have an executive coach before, but similar what you're talking about was after a performance review. For me, that was sub par. I no doubt about it and I made a choice I needed to get better. I said I need help and we went down this executive coach path. So I think you talked about the assessment side, when folks can make the choice that they want to get better, improving themselves on a regular basis, and realize that they'll invest their money somewhere, whether it's in their golf membership or whether it's in developing themselves inside executive coaching. That it's relatively I don't wanna say inexpensive it's probably not the right word but a great investment in themselves to go forward and make that happen. You wrote rise and go and it's got on the front of the book and we don't do this via video. It's got on the front of the book a picture in the mountains, this guy climbing up a ladder. Let's talk about the book first, like who did you write this book for and why?

Speaker 2: 15:13

Yeah, the thesis of the book when it came you know I actually became a book was that all leaders get knocked down. It's just the great leaders get back up quicker. So what could it look like in your life if, the next time you get knocked down, you're able to get back up quicker? And I believe the book Rise and Go is a resource guide to help leaders get back up, and I know, in fact, it's become a resource guide for me. Now, who did I write the book for? Well, to be completely honest, john, I wasn't writing a book. I was putting content together to help me get up. And so March 1st 2020, my family and I made a decision we're going all into this executive coaching, corporate speaking, we're leaving corporate America and the salary and equity and other people's paying for our insurance or just any of those things, and we're saying we're going all in. And then on March 13th which was a Friday I'm not superstitious, but Friday the 13th is a little odd that that's shut down, especially, you know, the US and stay at home mandates and mask, and that day I got a couple emails that cancel speaking engagements. And in that day, march 13th, I lost 35% of my revenue like that, and I know there's listeners who were impacted way worse than my family at losing the 35% that day. You know there were deaths and there was unemployment and all that, and I get it and sorry for that. For us and our family, though, where I was in that moment, 35% not only sucked, but what about the other 65%? What else is going to happen? I mean, am I going to get more emails canceling? And I have three kids, and at the time, my oldest was a sophomore in high school. What about college? Is that going to happen? Or you know, we just got to do something different, and so what happened is so I get knocked down. I'm frustrated. I mentioned quiet time and I mentioned journaling. So I actually was journaling just my raw emotions, my raw feelings of like God, I'm frustrated, like I did my part of the deal. My part of the deal was to leave corporate, be bold, step out of the boat, like go for it. You didn't hold up your end of the bargain, like here. I am kind of like sinking. This is awful. So I was frustrated. That's all like in my journals. I was kind of just, you know, thinking this through, and I remember April 1st 2020, I have circled in my journal. What am I supposed to do? Just aggressively circled, I didn't know. Over the course of those coming weeks and coming months, I just got pointed at different content that helped me get up. One one is the actual word rise and go. I, in the book of Acts, which is a book in the New Testament Acts 8, 9 and 10, three different individuals were told to rise and go. And so I'm reading this story and in each of these scenarios, each of these different three scenarios, they were challenging. It was to get up and go, talk to royalty about something, and I just was like man if they were told to rise, I need to get out of my pity party and rise and go. I heard stories of inspiration off podcast or just people I was bumping into and hearing cool stories of resilience, and so I was putting together this content kind of writing some blogs or writing some devotional thoughts, if you will to help me. Well then, over that course of the year I ended up having about 60 different clients throughout that year and they would have a problem. They would have that they're frustrated or they're losing hope on something, or they're usually have a positive mindset, but now it's shifting into negative, kind of whatever it was. I just was like, hey, I wrote this blog, read this, or I was kind of thinking about this wheel Cycle of Awesome or Cycle of Awful which I talk about in the book. Hey, why don't you take a look at this? And so what happened is it got battle tested, they liked it, it helped them. And I was like, ok, well, maybe this is a book and it'll help others. So I actually put it into a book to go help others. It's 20 chapters. The first 10 chapters give you the courage to get up, and then next 10 chapters give you the confidence to move forward. So that became what the book was, and at the end of the book, I put together what's called a rise and go manifesto Obviously, rise and go because that's the name of the book so I thought I'd do something catchy Manifesto I'm not the one to create a manifesto. They've been around forever but I never really used one. And so, starting 2020, I started to have some different things in my manifesto that I would both proactively and reactively look at. John, proactively, I would. A couple of times a week I would look at this document. It has grown to be a 14 page Google Doc. I do not look at all the words at all, but on there it's kind of got a vision board element to it. I got a bunch of I am statements to offset lies that I will hear in my mind and that head trash I've got. I got a section there like God has a night shift, because so often we think it's all on us, but yet I got cool stories, that of success or encounters or meetups that I had nothing to do with, if I'm being honest. And so, anyway, I have that document. So I proactively look at it a few times a week not all of it, I'll just skim through it and then reactively is if I get my teeth kicked in, if I lose a client or prospect or speaking engagement, or just those days you just feel down in the dumps. I'll go look at that document and start to see truths of one either what God is telling me but, also just where I've had success in my life in the past, like they're all truths of a I had these many book sales, or I've had these are how many clients I've had, or other cool stories have happened and I start to read them like, all right, that's right. That's right, let's go, I'm ready to get back in the game.

Speaker 1: 21:39

Love that the manifesto.

Speaker 2: 21:41

That's right. Manifesto.

Speaker 1: 21:42

So it's been helpful.

Speaker 2: 21:43

That's at the back of the book.

Speaker 1: 21:44

No, I mean, look, as I've gone through the book I have so appreciated and the name of my podcast, the uncommon leader podcast but I believe that you you've put this book together in an uncommon way. I mean, you've used Bible verses and prayer and the framework that you put for each chapter. You put an action plan, which is pretty standard inside of a book to go forward in terms of you know the actions that you can take. You also have the QR codes in there that refer back to podcasts that you've done that have specific gifts to talk about that topic. How did you come up with that framework in terms of that? How did you think of putting it together like that, or was was there just something? You're mind says I'm gonna do it differently, because you don't see many books that are written like that.

Speaker 2: 22:27

Yeah, well, thanks, Thanks, it was kind of like I said, it was kind of written, I guess a little bit selfishly, because that's how I. I mean, there's other things I like. I like short chapters. I like short chapters that have some content and I want action out of them, Cause I'll read some chapters of a book and I'm like I don't know what to do with this, Like, how's this apply to me? So you know, that's the reason for the, the chapters being somewhat short. Tying into scripture is cause to me. That whole rise and go experience was a real spiritual experience, and so those were verses that meant something to me at the time and so that I want to include those for the reader. Some readers may not be as spiritual, some readers will be more spiritual, and so, but for me those verses meant something. And then I include stories of my own life or of clients or podcast guests that's when you end up getting the QR code because during that time, like John, as I mentioned, I was, I was learning from others I mean, I always am learning from others but just some cool things that were happening and I was like man, and so I include that part into the podcast and or into the book I was like hey, just give the. QR code if someone wants to go hear more, because there's some pretty cool things. And then at the end, I mean the reason I include that prayer is because after each of those chapters like that was my feeling as I was writing it like hey, god, I just have been struggling with lack of hope. That's why I've put together some of this content in this chapter. Man, help me have hope for the future, help me believe, like what I'm saying here in writing. And so for me, I mean writing. Well, both books are personal, but this book was really just a personal journey for me as I went from hitting bottom to then up into the right, which became kind of. You know, you even mentioned that graph of up into the right, and anytime we go up into the right, there's peaks. Well, actually I take that back. Every time we go up into the right, people forget that there's peaks and valleys. They think it's a straight line, straight line, yeah. And so for me, you know, when I wrote the book, when I home first, I actually drew in the book a graph up into the right, hey, there's peaks and valleys. And you probably have something very similar with your clients, john, that is, there's those days where clients are talking to us and they're just in a funk An employee quit, they missed their numbers for the quarter, or just something's happening. They're just in a low spot and it's almost doom and gloom. It's always going to be bad and I'll draw out this graph and I'll circle one of those valleys that's there and say, hey, this is where you're at, but you haven't always been here and nor will you be here forever. You're in this low spot. The devil's going to try to say that's how it always is and, like John, that's not only in business, but also even personally, like if you're, you know, for those listeners that are trying to get their marriage back, going in the right direction and you're making progress. Well, all of a sudden you have an argument. You're like, oh man, it's over, it's over, it's always going to be bad now. Or you're trying to work on your temper with your kids and you lose your temper because they won't brush their teeth or make their bed, or you know whatever it is to be on their age and you're like, oh man, I'll always be a bad parent because the devil, the head trash, wants us to think that we're always in that valley and so I will work with clients and even myself of being like, hey, I'm in the valley, we've got to acknowledge that it's a funk. But man, look back how far you've come, how you've grown in your marriage or how in your parenting or in your business or in your leadership, look how far you've came. And so I have them write out gratitude or things, they how they've grown in certain areas. But then I'll say but we're not done, we have places to go. So write out some of the dreams, rewrite what your vision is and it really did try to give some hope of what's to come. Love that, so that became the rise and go kind of graph if you will, or image.

Speaker 1: 26:47

At some point we'll talk about the visual I use, and I just love that visual. I use one that's similar in terms of climbing and how difficult it is no doubt about it. Having a son that lives out in Boulder, colorado, you know, using the mountains and the background is really good. You know, as I listened through some of your about how you wrote it and you almost were like helping yourself as well. There's a quote that gets thrown around by Roy Abaden and it's pretty powerful. No pun intended, but you are the most powerfully positioned to help the person that you used to be. And when you write that book, like if you were to follow some of your own guidance, would that have helped you get back up? And it did, because you lived that story. So I appreciate you sharing it and I appreciate you sharing how the again prayer and the verse became important to you. Do you have a favorite client success story that you liked? There are many in your book and there are many that I liked and that I highlighted. I'm just curious if you had one that was kind of your favorite.

Speaker 2: 27:44

Yeah, I've got. Yeah, yes, I do. I'm very, very grateful for a variety. You know we were talking about Went Home First at the beginning and there's a story actually in that book. It's really the root of the title Went Home First, because I didn't come up with that title on my own, like it wasn't like, oh, I'm gonna name the book Went Home First. I got hired by this particular client who was a president of a company, and I got hired to help with culture, to help with vision and values, and at the time it was my largest engagement and I just was like, oh, this is awesome. And so we have our first call, like it's official, we signed up and we're moving forward, and so we talk about some of the things we wanna do and the vision and values and those pieces. But just getting to know them more is like, hey, what did you do this past weekend? And he explained how him and his kids went to the farm or you know, they had some property and I was like and I just was kind of curious. I was like I asked a couple of the personal stories. I didn't hear anything about his wife. But I remember when we had the discovery call and we started kind of talking about working together. He had mentioned that he'd been married for 25 years and so I just was like in my mind I'm like, oh boy, I'm asking about the personal life, I've yet to hear anything really about his wife and I, just to be honest, I just kind of had this, you know, prompting that I needed to ask the question about his wife and so I said, okay, you know you mentioned your kids and going to the property. Tell me about your wife and what do you guys like to do for fun? And you've been on any dates lately and it just kind of got, we kind of got quiet. His enthusiasm, you know, when he talked about work, his enthusiasm was super high. When I asked about family, it went down. And when I asked about his wife. We went further down. I was like, oh my goodness, we got some challenges. So I could tell that home was just was not great. And so I just followed my prompting because I truly believe that, you know, if we're going to have success at work, we've got to have success at home. I mean, especially nowadays. I mean I think it's always been the case, but now there is no. Leave your personal life at the front door. I mean, we're walking in, we've got our smartwatches on, we've got our smart phones. Matter of fact, some of us work from home and you just can't really break them apart. So I asked I basically went for it with the client and I said, listen, I know you hired me to talk about vision and values. We're going to improve culture and some other items, but is it okay if we also talk about your personal life and your home life? Because you have to win at home first in order for the changes at work to be sustainable? Is that okay? And he gets quiet and I was like, oh my gosh, I just got fired from my biggest client yet. And he says, yeah, it's okay, because every day I drive home I get a pit in my stomach to walk in my front door. I said yeah, it's okay. Or he said yeah, it's okay. I said all right. So over the course of some months we talked about the vision and values of the company, but we also talked about being intentional at home. And I challenged him go on a date. And the first date that he went on with his spouse after this drought, and I said it could not be very good. Well, the first date he got canceled on. She said no. So I said you got to try again. So he went again and this time it was. They did go on a date, it was a little short. I was like you got to try again. And then they started dating again and his family improved. We also got the vision and values and everything else done with the company. We said we were going to do, but now we got both then. And I remember one time where we'd both kind of been we missed each other for a couple of weeks. We just weren't able to have really long connections out of some texts back and forth, when we got on one of those coaching calls after numerous weeks and he shared with me that they went on a date and just how powerful it was and that they held hands while they were walking and I was like, oh my goodness, like I've got a president of a company. One of his greatest excitements is holding hands with his wife again. So wherever that listener is, no matter where they're at, what I always want to remind, I got to remind myself, but to remind listeners or just the audience, of wherever you're at, you don't have to stay there. So if the marriage is not where it's at your parenting, your working out your business culture, your purpose, you feel burned out. You don't have to stay there. With some intentionality we can improve all areas of our life. It just takes intentionality.

Speaker 1: 32:58

Love that intentionality. Finishing off with that is really cool, corey. How do folks stay in touch with you and learn more about your books as well, or where are you gonna send them?

Speaker 2: 33:13

You go to queryoncarlsoncom, that's got all you know. That's got the coaching speaking. I've got a podcast called Went Home First where I talk to leaders and have to have you on that podcast. We talk homework and faith. But what I will also do, john, is give everyone a free book. Who wants one? They just pay shipping and handling. So if you go to queryoncarlsoncom, forward slash free book, you go there, you pick Went Home First. That's the first book where we talk obviously about home, how to put together a personal vision statement, a key framework called the Five Capitals, or the second book, which is Rise and Go, which we were unpacking already. So pick a book, our team will mail it to you. And, as they hate, thanks for listening this long in the podcast. That's awesome.

Speaker 1: 33:57

And on social media.

Speaker 2: 33:59

I am on all platforms, but the one I engage in and I love is LinkedIn.

Speaker 1: 34:05

Well, I'm gonna put links to all of these things in the show notes and I appreciate your generosity with the book as well and going forward for the listeners of this podcast. That is so cool, folks. If you don't take advantage of that, I don't know how you don't take advantage of that, because I've gone through Rise and Go. I may go do that myself for Went Home First and see how that goes to read that one too. Corey, I wanna thank you first for your time to invest with our listeners. I think we could carry on this conversation for another couple of hours. It just kind of goes pretty well, but I wanna honor your time. But the same question for my first-time listeners, and I've had three-time guests too. So if you wanna come back, we're going for the five-timers, are gonna get the robe, the Uncommon Leader Podcast robe. We're gonna see who gets it first.

Speaker 2: 34:44

There you go.

Speaker 1: 34:46

That's a side story, but first-time guests always finish off with the same question I'm gonna give you a billboard anywhere you want to. Corey, you can put whatever message on that billboard. I don't care if it's digital or paper, however you wanna do it in terms of going forward. But if I give you that billboard, you can put it anywhere you want to. What are you gonna put on the billboard and why would you put that message on there?

Speaker 2: 35:07

You are loved. I think so many of us show up into work, meetings, family meetings, wherever the case may be, trying to prove something, showing up within adequacies or thinking we aren't good enough and we're operating from a position of guilt or shame or fear. But something I learned years ago is by knowing that we are beloved sons or beloved daughters, we can then work from a place of approval as opposed to for approval, because when we're working for approval, we're always striving, we're always trying to scratch and claw and position ourselves because if I get that for approval from my spouse or from my kids or from my job or whatever it is, then I will have arrived and that's just. It's fleeting, that's all there is to it. It's fleeting. But, however, if we can know that we are loved and we are beloved sons or daughters, then we operate from that place of approval and from there and we can forget ourselves and therefore show up as our whole selves to love, to serve and to just give ourselves to others.

Speaker 1: 36:27

Very cool. Thank you, Corey, for sharing with the listeners of the Uncommon Leader podcast. I wish you the best.

Speaker 2: 36:34

Hey, thanks for having me. I love the conversation. I appreciate you and what you're doing, so thank you.

Speaker 1: 36:45

Well, that's all for today's episode of the Uncommon Leader podcast. Thanks for listening in. Please take just a minute to share this podcast with that someone you know that you thought of when you heard this episode. One of the most valuable things you can do is to rate the podcast and leave a review. You can do that on Apple Podcasts or you can rate the podcast on Spotify or any other platform you listen. Did you know that many of the things that I discussed on the Uncommon Leader podcast are subjects that I coach other leaders and organizations on? If you would be interested in having me discuss one-on-one or group coaching with you, or know someone who is looking to move from underperforming to uncommon in their business or life, I would love to chat with you. Click the link in the show notes to set up a free call to discuss how coaching might benefit you and your team. Until next time, go and grow champions.