1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,400 I'm looking forward to an event. 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,680 There's a nonprofit that my best friend runs, 3 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,680 and we're having a big event on Veterans Day, 4 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:12,720 and looking forward to helping put on that event 5 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:14,260 and participating in it. 6 00:00:14,260 --> 00:00:15,240 Oh, that's awesome. 7 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:16,340 What's the event type? 8 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:20,000 It's called Swing Time, 9 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:25,000 and the charity is a nonprofit 10 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:29,960 that recognizes the Scottsdale Airport during World War II, 11 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:34,160 was used to train Army Air Corps pilots. 12 00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:36,280 And a lot of people didn't know that, 13 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:40,720 so they have a steerman airplane on the display there, 14 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:42,440 and then all the money they raised, 15 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:45,640 they give scholarships to young folks 16 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:48,840 going into aviation disciplines, 17 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,360 and they also partner with an organization 18 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:52,800 called Paws for Events. 19 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:57,200 So I like what they do for the community, so happy to help. 20 00:00:57,200 --> 00:00:59,240 Wow, that's awesome, man, 21 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:00,600 and thank you for your service. 22 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,160 How much has your time in the military 23 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,240 had an influence on your leadership and business decisions? 24 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:08,560 Well, first, let me just say it was a privilege and honor 25 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:10,020 for me to serve my country. 26 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:13,880 It's funny, I think that veterans, 27 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,120 we bring a lot to the workplace, 28 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,840 but for me, I thought as an aviator, 29 00:01:22,780 --> 00:01:25,360 there are certain things that we learned in aviation, 30 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:28,840 and one of them is planning, right? 31 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:31,880 We just don't go out and fly in air fucking right, you land. 32 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:33,320 Thank goodness, thank goodness. 33 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:34,960 So you gotta have a plan, right? 34 00:01:34,960 --> 00:01:37,640 And so we, and then we brief the plan 35 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,400 before we go out and fly, we execute the plan, 36 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:42,560 and then we come back and we debrief it, right? 37 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,280 So it's always that cycle of, you know, 38 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:48,200 talking about what you're gonna do, 39 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:49,560 going out and doing it, 40 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:51,960 and then coming back and talking about how it went, 41 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:54,080 because in aviation and life, right, 42 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:57,340 there's a lot of variables over which you have no control, 43 00:01:57,340 --> 00:02:00,080 right, and so you have to sort of embrace uncertainty. 44 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:01,940 When you take off in an airplane, 45 00:02:01,940 --> 00:02:03,660 you really don't know where you're gonna land. 46 00:02:03,660 --> 00:02:05,760 You don't know what's gonna happen. 47 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:07,840 You don't know, I mean, you could get a prediction 48 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:09,360 out of it, but it could be wrong. 49 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,760 So there's a lot of those things that I learned in aviation 50 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:17,760 that I found that I brought back with me to life and business. 51 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:19,000 I love that. 52 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:20,200 How accurate is Top Gun? 53 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:21,960 That thing's gotta be as great. 54 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:25,000 All right, welcome in to Vision Pros Live. 55 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:27,040 With Jackson Calame, I'm your show host. 56 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:29,720 We will be doing interviews for visionary entrepreneurs 57 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:31,680 and guest leaders who are building 58 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:33,220 fantastic visions out there. 59 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:43,000 Hey, what's up? 60 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:44,160 And welcome to the Vision Pros Live. 61 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:45,720 I'm your host, Jackson Calame, 62 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:48,040 founder and CEO of First Class Business. 63 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:50,880 I've got Ron Higgs on today, former US Navy, 64 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,920 well, still US Navy veteran, Ron Higgs, 65 00:02:53,920 --> 00:02:56,840 and turned fractional COO. 66 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:58,760 We're gonna be talking about the difference in roles 67 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:02,360 of COOs and CEOs and why they shouldn't hate each other, 68 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:04,720 why they should be working together. 69 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:07,520 Same thing with the forgotten CMOs in the equation. 70 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:09,520 I mean, there's just so much growth, 71 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:11,600 so much understanding that even if you don't have 72 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,020 any of those sealable executives in your business, 73 00:03:14,020 --> 00:03:15,800 it's something to vision paint. 74 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:18,000 It's something to be thinking about and realizing, 75 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,280 you know what, maybe that's part of my problem 76 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:23,360 is that I don't have great leaders 77 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:25,160 helping me build things out. 78 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:27,160 I'm just saying, it might be. 79 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:29,000 We're gonna be diving in more with Ron on that. 80 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:31,560 So before we dive into that, 81 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:32,400 we're gonna talk a little bit 82 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:33,360 about these sponsors right here, 83 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:34,680 ColdClick and TapMental. 84 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:37,520 So ColdClick, these are sponsors, by the way, 85 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:41,480 that are chosen by me because I use their services. 86 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:43,920 In the case of ColdClick, I use LinkedIn, 87 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:46,360 I use their services for LinkedIn automation. 88 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:49,280 And that gets me connected to all of these people 89 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:51,800 that you're seeing come on these pre-shows, 90 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:54,300 sorry, pre-shows, on these shows with Vision Pros Live, 91 00:03:54,300 --> 00:03:56,360 I do a little pre-show with them in advance. 92 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:57,800 It connects me to wonderful people 93 00:03:57,800 --> 00:03:59,520 who are doing great things in the world. 94 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:01,200 I also utilize that to, of course, 95 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,060 get people connected to our services 96 00:04:04,060 --> 00:04:05,840 that we provide at first class business. 97 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:10,340 So they protect us from algorithm changes. 98 00:04:10,340 --> 00:04:13,760 They stay very close to what's going on at LinkedIn 99 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:16,000 and how we can make sure that we're compliant. 100 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,040 And also, they're strategic advisors 101 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:21,920 for helping us with our messaging, auditing that, 102 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:24,120 editing that, helping us make sure we're on point 103 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:25,960 with how we approach people. 104 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:27,080 Then there's TapMental. 105 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:29,640 TapMental is a company run by Dave Goodall. 106 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:31,480 You go to tapmental.io, 107 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:34,960 and Dave helps blue collar businesses 108 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:38,580 really not transition, not transform, 109 00:04:38,580 --> 00:04:42,840 but connect the problems of psychology 110 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:46,280 that a business owner faces with the systems 111 00:04:46,280 --> 00:04:48,500 that need to be executed and put into place. 112 00:04:48,500 --> 00:04:50,160 And I know that sounds kind of like, what? 113 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:52,860 Like, how do those two things go together? 114 00:04:52,860 --> 00:04:54,880 Well, if you haven't heard about mind trash, 115 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:57,200 I recommend looking up a few videos on YouTube. 116 00:04:57,200 --> 00:04:58,320 If you haven't done a lot of work 117 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:00,120 with self-awareness, same thing. 118 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:03,760 However, if you have been a business for three, five, 119 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,360 10 years, you probably have started to see 120 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:08,740 how some of your own internal limitations 121 00:05:08,740 --> 00:05:11,280 are direct components of why your business 122 00:05:11,280 --> 00:05:13,800 isn't operating as effectively as it could be. 123 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:17,360 Dave has an incredible ability to cut through with clarity 124 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:19,600 to help business owners understand 125 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:22,100 how to work their CFO departments, 126 00:05:22,100 --> 00:05:24,360 what changes to make in terms of their systems, 127 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:27,040 and his case studies have impressed me tremendously, 128 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:29,120 so much so that we switched gears from 129 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:32,040 not only him being a client, but also advising me 130 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:34,080 on some of my systems and diving a little bit deeper 131 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:36,560 into my psyche, if you will. 132 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:38,880 So I can't recommend Dave enough, 133 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:41,600 especially, again, if you're in that blue collar, 134 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,200 construction style business, if you feel like, 135 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,180 you're a good old boy, you need somebody to relate to you 136 00:05:46,180 --> 00:05:50,620 who's not as emotional, but is still able to dive into 137 00:05:50,620 --> 00:05:53,560 the disruptions that you might need internally, 138 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:55,360 Dave's awesome at what he does. 139 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:59,040 So before we move into Ron's story, 140 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:01,720 we also always wanna highlight the Water Project. 141 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:04,960 The Water Project is my go-to charity of choice 142 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:08,200 to talk about, and anybody who, 143 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,400 if any of you listening in have ever been in a situation 144 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:13,720 where you don't have access to water 145 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,160 for an extended period of time, 146 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:19,040 then you may know, you may really wanna consider 147 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:21,000 helping out with this project. 148 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:22,520 These children, these communities, 149 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:24,320 they don't have access to clean drinking water. 150 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,200 They often have to walk miles and miles just to get water 151 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:30,120 that could end up ruining their life further. 152 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:34,440 And this project focuses on different communities 153 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:39,440 that need help for more than 300 people at a time often. 154 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:42,640 And you get to pick which project you wanna support, 155 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:43,720 which I think is really cool. 156 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:46,520 And you get to see the outcome as they document 157 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:48,880 the process of these people going from not having access 158 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:51,000 to water to then getting access to water. 159 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:52,600 And you get to learn about the training they go through 160 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:53,600 and the process as well. 161 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:57,080 This is going to change a community for generations, 162 00:06:57,080 --> 00:06:58,360 which is why I love the effects 163 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:00,240 of giving back to this cause. 164 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,000 If you have a cause that you wanna be supported, 165 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:04,480 don't hesitate to drop that in the comments 166 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:06,560 and compete with our cause. 167 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:09,320 We all have lots of opportunities to give in life. 168 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:10,640 This is just one of them. 169 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:12,840 And we appreciate you taking some time, 170 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:15,880 putting in some effort to help us help the 8 billion people 171 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:17,480 in the world who need further help. 172 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:19,320 So without further ado, 173 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:21,240 I'm gonna bring Ron Higgs on board. 174 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:24,520 We're gonna be talking about his vision as a fractional COO. 175 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:26,560 Ron, thanks for being on Vision Pros, man. 176 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:28,280 Hi, Jackson, thanks for having me. 177 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:29,840 I really appreciate it. 178 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:30,880 Absolutely. 179 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:33,680 So Ron, let's dive in hot and heavy. 180 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:36,160 Who should be listening right now 181 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:38,520 and why do you feel they should listen to you? 182 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:42,720 Well, I think anybody who's open to learning 183 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:46,360 more about themselves, becoming better leaders 184 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:47,200 should be listening. 185 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:48,760 So C-level executives, 186 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:53,080 anybody aspiring to be a C-level executive. 187 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:56,760 I think that leadership is the cornerstone 188 00:07:56,760 --> 00:07:58,480 of pretty much everything, right? 189 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:02,280 And so if you can learn to be a better leader, 190 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:07,120 it will help you at whatever stage of your life 191 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:09,160 or professional career you're in. 192 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:10,960 Absolutely. 193 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:14,440 And let's talk a little bit about your background too. 194 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:18,440 So I've got, let me pull up your LinkedIn page a little bit. 195 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:20,600 I'll prelude it a little, let's see here. 196 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:21,840 I'm either gonna race to it 197 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:24,080 or Cynthia is gonna beat me to it, we'll see. 198 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:24,920 Here we go. 199 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,880 So again, US Navy veteran. 200 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:30,040 So you have experience in the military. 201 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:32,200 You're a strategic business advisor 202 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:35,840 and you've been an executive coach now. 203 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:38,000 And let's, I'll scroll through this 204 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:39,040 while you talk through it, 205 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:41,120 but walk me through your experience 206 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:42,480 of growing into leadership. 207 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:44,560 Well, it started at a young age. 208 00:08:44,560 --> 00:08:46,520 I'm a graduate of the US Naval Academy. 209 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:47,360 So it started there. 210 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:50,120 I mean, leadership is embedded in the DNA 211 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:53,120 of that entire institution since 1845 212 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:56,680 and they embedded in us as we went through 213 00:08:56,680 --> 00:08:58,160 those four years there. 214 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:01,400 So that was an important part of where it started. 215 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:03,240 And then my time in the military, 216 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:06,520 always in leadership positions as an officer in the military, 217 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:09,360 always having to lead by example. 218 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:12,560 And everything that we did in the military 219 00:09:12,560 --> 00:09:14,040 was growth oriented. 220 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:15,800 You move from assignment to assignment, 221 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:18,640 but you're growing, you're learning from people. 222 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:22,600 And one of the things that got me in, 223 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:24,400 we didn't call it coaching then, 224 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:27,240 but in the military, you go into a unit 225 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:29,400 and everybody has a tour in that unit. 226 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:31,240 Let's say it's three or four years. 227 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:34,600 And that means that we're training our replacements. 228 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:35,960 We're moving up every year. 229 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:39,600 We're in our responsibilities increasing until our time is up 230 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:40,440 and we leave. 231 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:44,240 And so we are constantly leading, up leveling, 232 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:46,600 and coaching all of those that come behind us 233 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:49,760 because we know they're going to replace us. 234 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:52,200 So that's one of the things that you asked me earlier 235 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:55,120 what I brought with me in the civilian world. 236 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:58,320 And so that was one of the things that I brought with me 237 00:09:58,320 --> 00:09:59,960 from the Navy. 238 00:09:59,960 --> 00:10:01,200 That's awesome. 239 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:04,560 And that depth that just going through your resume 240 00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:06,760 on LinkedIn, seeing the types of companies 241 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:08,440 who've worked with Boeing for six years, 242 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:11,320 I think it said the military for 19 years, 243 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:16,320 having grown up in an Academy of Leadership training, 244 00:10:16,680 --> 00:10:18,920 like the depth is awesome. 245 00:10:18,920 --> 00:10:19,760 I wanna circle back. 246 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:21,640 I wanna actually focus a lot on that, 247 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:23,640 but for the sake of the show's format, 248 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:25,040 we're gonna have to come back to that after, 249 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:26,320 if we have time, if not, 250 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:28,400 we'll have a secondary conversation 251 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:32,960 because there's just so much that I think people can learn 252 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:36,400 from, again, that dynamic of not only leading the military, 253 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:39,320 but then transitioning back to civilian life. 254 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:42,000 And going through that, I got a lot of buddies and friends 255 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:44,360 who would benefit from that conversation. 256 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:45,920 So before we do that, 257 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:48,520 what's your vision for those that you serve right now? 258 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:52,880 I like to keep things in fairly simple terms. 259 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:57,600 So for me is to teach people to inspire others, 260 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:02,200 to inspire others to do whatever it is they wanna do, 261 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:05,360 whatever it is they wanna grow into. 262 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:07,400 But I think we've all been in situations 263 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:10,920 where people just don't inspire us to perform. 264 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:15,440 They don't inspire us to go do and be anything. 265 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:17,560 And so I like working with people 266 00:11:17,560 --> 00:11:21,000 to sort of unleash their greatness 267 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:24,040 to help them inspire others. 268 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:24,880 Awesome. 269 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:27,760 And then for the business owners that you're serving 270 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:29,000 as a fractional COO, 271 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:31,280 let's dive a little bit deeper into that one as well. 272 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:34,120 So what beyond the inspiration, 273 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:36,440 what do you hope to see them accomplish? 274 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:39,360 What are they looking to accomplish in their lives? 275 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:42,720 Well, I'm gonna go back to the inspiration thing again, 276 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:44,840 because you have to learn to inspire those 277 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:47,720 at every level around you to do it. 278 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:49,760 But for the business owners, 279 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:53,440 typically you understand the concept of visionaries. 280 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:57,360 Visionaries are the people with all the ideas and everything. 281 00:11:57,360 --> 00:11:59,600 They're the ones that are typically all over the place. 282 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:01,200 But without those visionaries, 283 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:02,960 there are a lot of things that wouldn't exist. 284 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:05,160 There are other people that they need to engage 285 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:07,800 to make those things a reality. 286 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:11,400 So I'd like to help people in every position 287 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:14,040 realize that they have blind spots, 288 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:17,200 they have natural tendencies, they have expertise, 289 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:22,200 and then others have expertise that compliments theirs. 290 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:25,400 So an example is if you know and you realize 291 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:29,160 that you're sort of a low EQ person here at the top, 292 00:12:29,160 --> 00:12:32,280 then you should hire somebody else at the top 293 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:35,480 that has a high EQ to balance that out. 294 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:38,400 And I think that happens at every level 295 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:40,280 for people to be open to those 296 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:42,960 who don't sort of operate like they do 297 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:46,840 and people who have different perspectives than they do, 298 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,600 but to learn how to work with those people 299 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:53,200 in a complimentary manner to move the business forward. 300 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:54,920 Huge, absolutely. 301 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:58,560 It's different elements provide different strengths. 302 00:12:58,560 --> 00:13:00,960 And also come with different weaknesses. 303 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:04,400 So businesses is no different, well said. 304 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:06,440 Let's talk about your vision for you. 305 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:08,040 Ron, what do you see for yourself 306 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:11,320 over the next five minutes to five million years? 307 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:13,480 You're welcome to define that however you want. 308 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:15,720 Well, you know what impact, right? 309 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:18,160 So I want to be in a position 310 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:20,960 where I can have a positive impact 311 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:22,640 on more and more people. 312 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:26,000 I was in the aerospace and defense community 313 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,920 after military aerospace and defense community. 314 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:31,880 I was in that community for a long time, 315 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:34,600 but I just had this calling to go out and do, 316 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:35,800 what can I do? 317 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:40,360 Where can I go where I will have more impact on others? 318 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:43,800 Okay, so I stumbled my way into fractional COO business 319 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:47,520 and now moving towards doing some strategic advising 320 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:49,000 for smaller companies 321 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,160 that are in the aerospace and defense industry. 322 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:52,600 And again, the executive coaching, 323 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:55,920 I think that will allow me to have more of an impact 324 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:56,760 on others. 325 00:13:56,760 --> 00:13:59,160 And the next step in that thing is I'd really like 326 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:01,920 to do some keynote speaking and reach out 327 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:03,880 and stand in front of groups of people. 328 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:06,600 Again, that will increase my impact. 329 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:07,600 Absolutely. 330 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:09,440 What about outside of the business world? 331 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:12,880 Once you got, you like golf, you like fishing. 332 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:14,720 You know, I'm waiting for golf, right? 333 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:16,960 To the golf, I have a lot of friends that like golf 334 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:19,320 and as long as my body holds up, right? 335 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:21,560 When I retire, I'm just gonna learn golf. 336 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:23,240 And apparently I have to learn pickleball 337 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:24,840 because everybody else does. 338 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:29,840 But I am a snowboarder and a mountain bike. 339 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:35,400 And I most enjoy spending time around, you know, 340 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:40,400 with good food and good drink with family and friends. 341 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:44,600 That's absolutely the thing I love to do the most. 342 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:45,880 We can do this food thing. 343 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:47,360 I'm all about the food. 344 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,200 Pickleball, we can watch pickleball. 345 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:52,520 I'll watch it, I guess. 346 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:55,440 I'm sorry, typically when I travel, I'll check out, 347 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:57,240 I'll try to check out a diners drive-ins 348 00:14:57,240 --> 00:14:59,320 and dives restaurant, you know, just. 349 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:00,280 Nice. 350 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:03,920 Just to expand that, you know, culinary. 351 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:06,360 Yeah, yeah, I like trying new things, man. 352 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:10,680 That's my go-to is find a new place, something local. 353 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:11,520 It's great. 354 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:14,600 Okay, well, let's take a dark dive. 355 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:16,560 So in terms of business, 356 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:20,480 what's the worst business experience that you've ever had? 357 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:24,240 Well, sort of business, but I had, 358 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:28,640 I actually took a W-2 job 359 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:34,520 and I took it and I felt like it was the right fit 360 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:35,920 at the right time. 361 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:40,920 It would help me sort of in the future with my business. 362 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:45,880 And it didn't work out, let's say. 363 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:48,800 And there, I don't think that there was anything 364 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:52,880 that I could have done, anything that I could have asked, 365 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:55,600 anything that I could have, you know, 366 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:57,680 as far as the interview process 367 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:01,640 that would have uncovered all of the stuff. 368 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:06,200 And I will say that, you know, the values for the company, 369 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:09,240 I was aligned with the values, I thought it was great, 370 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:11,960 but it turned out to be kind of lip service, right? 371 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:12,800 Yeah. 372 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:15,720 Company was mired in bureaucracy, you know, 373 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:17,560 arrogance to like our way of doing this 374 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:18,880 with the absolute best way. 375 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:20,440 There's no other way to do it, right? 376 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:21,560 It's like, eh, okay. 377 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:27,600 Not very open to, you know, input from others, you know, 378 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:32,840 and sort of more focused on meaningless KPIs 379 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:35,040 than actually helping the client. 380 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:38,600 And I will say that my KPIs around the client 381 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:42,520 all had to do with numbers and selling the client something 382 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:44,160 and it didn't have anything to do 383 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:47,440 with how much I helped the client achieve their goals. 384 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:51,120 And so I just, it wasn't the right place for me. 385 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:51,960 Yeah. 386 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:54,000 But I will say, so it wasn't a good experience at the time. 387 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:58,440 However, the learning from that was huge, right? 388 00:16:58,440 --> 00:16:59,800 The learning on how to, okay, 389 00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:02,760 what kind of different questions could I ask to spot this? 390 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:06,720 But moreover, being able to go into an organization 391 00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:09,240 and see some of those things 392 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:11,840 and help the organization work their way through it. 393 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:13,720 Excellent. 394 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:15,840 Dude, you just sparked something really big for me 395 00:17:15,840 --> 00:17:20,280 between you and actually Scott, both of you guys, 396 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:23,280 back-to-back appointments, values. 397 00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:29,280 Everybody has values. 398 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:32,840 There's not a single person that doesn't have them. 399 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:36,840 And at the same time, they're executed very differently. 400 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:37,680 Yeah. 401 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:39,720 So you're bringing up something that's super important. 402 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:41,920 It's not enough for the culture to just, 403 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:43,680 I don't wanna say claim they have values, 404 00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:46,760 because they do, but there's a different magnitude. 405 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:50,680 So for instance, somebody who hates everybody in the world 406 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:52,160 may love their family. 407 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:54,520 They still have the value of love. 408 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:57,960 They just exercise in a way where you're excluded from it. 409 00:17:57,960 --> 00:17:59,600 They may have the value of patience. 410 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:00,920 They're patient enough for the microwave 411 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:03,840 to finish their food, but if they're stuck in traffic 412 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:05,400 and you're the problem, 413 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:08,120 there's no patience whatsoever expressed. 414 00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:08,960 Right. 415 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:13,480 And so when we get into the habit of just looking at values 416 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:17,000 as a unit of like, oh, cool, we share the same values. 417 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:19,640 Well, no, sorry, but no, duh. 418 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:22,480 We all share the same types of values, 419 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:25,840 but how do we exercise those in life? 420 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:27,320 And I've been there, Ron, too, 421 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:29,360 but you guys have really opened my mind 422 00:18:29,360 --> 00:18:33,360 over the last couple of days of, oh, okay, yeah. 423 00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:35,400 This is how I need to shift my own thinking 424 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,800 in relation to values, because if I don't, 425 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:42,800 then it becomes more of like a fight 426 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:46,240 and an understanding of, well, wait a second. 427 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:48,080 How are we exercising these values? 428 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:50,480 Do we exercise them in the same way? 429 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:51,760 You kind of blew my mind right there. 430 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:53,080 Thank you. 431 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:55,360 Another thing I would add that helps 432 00:18:55,360 --> 00:18:58,920 is for the company to actually define those values. 433 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:00,600 You could put a word up there. 434 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:03,880 You could put a word, say integrity, accountability, 435 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:05,640 but what does it mean in that context? 436 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:07,880 Just like you said, I may walk away from that with, 437 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:10,440 I may go look at the textbook definition and go, okay. 438 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:13,120 Or I may have my own. 439 00:19:13,120 --> 00:19:15,480 So it helps for the companies to really define 440 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:20,480 what they mean by the words that they have on there, 441 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:25,400 painted on the wall or on their website and all that stuff. 442 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:28,280 There's some really smart people 443 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:30,920 who will challenge you on that and say, 444 00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:31,760 what do you mean? 445 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:35,040 The dictionary definition is the definition of the word, 446 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:37,560 but not if you look at the history of the dictionary. 447 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:41,840 You go back to that, you use an 1820s dictionary 448 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:43,760 to define a specific word, 449 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:46,440 that word definition has completely evolved 450 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:48,360 and changed for today's society. 451 00:19:48,360 --> 00:19:50,880 And so I love what you're saying there. 452 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:55,160 There's a lot of extreme value in getting clear 453 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:57,440 about how you relate to your values 454 00:19:57,440 --> 00:19:59,520 and how you want others to relate to those as well. 455 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:02,400 So that was an awesome share. 456 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:04,520 What about your best experience in business? 457 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:05,960 Let's shift gears to the lighter side. 458 00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:08,400 What does that look like Ron? 459 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:12,280 Well, this is gonna be another sort of unorthodox story, 460 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:14,680 but it really was the best for me. 461 00:20:14,680 --> 00:20:18,920 I left my corporate job and I started off 462 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:20,400 as an independent consultant. 463 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:23,320 I just in the learning phase of starting off 464 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:25,000 and then just like everybody else, 465 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:28,360 I think you start some problems with client acquisition, 466 00:20:28,360 --> 00:20:32,040 some problems in really stating what my value was 467 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:33,800 and all of the above. 468 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:35,800 And so I was getting a little frustrated, 469 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:39,200 maybe three or four months into this, 470 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:41,360 my new self-employment experiment, 471 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:44,120 I was trying hard, I was networking, 472 00:20:44,120 --> 00:20:45,440 I was doing all sorts of stuff, 473 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:47,440 just not able to close anything. 474 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:51,120 And I was out with my wife one Sunday afternoon in July, 475 00:20:51,120 --> 00:20:53,200 it was hot, we were at shorts and flip-flops, 476 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:56,720 we were all into a microbrewery. 477 00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:59,160 We sit next to this couple and we start chatting. 478 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:01,840 Just started chatting and ended up talking to the guy 479 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:03,320 and he's like, well, I'm in town 480 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:04,920 because I'm gonna buy this brewery. 481 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:05,760 Oh really? 482 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:07,280 And so we start talking about beer 483 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:08,440 and I'm a craft beer enthusiast, 484 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:12,320 so I knew my subject, I talked to him. 485 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:15,720 So I gave the guy some advice about what breweries to visit, 486 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:17,800 what to do while he was in town and all that stuff 487 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:19,280 and we talked a little bit. 488 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:21,840 So I gave him my business card 489 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:25,200 and about a week later, he emailed me and said, 490 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:29,200 hey, everything you told me was spot on. 491 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:30,920 How'd you like be my consultant 492 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:34,480 for my expansion into Washington State? 493 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:37,720 And I was like, yeah, so handshake deal. 494 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:42,240 All of the networking and all of the books I was reading 495 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:45,280 on closing and sales and everything, right? 496 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:47,720 And all of that, nothing, 497 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:49,800 and then just a chance meeting with someone 498 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,160 at the right time because my wife 499 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:56,880 and his wife started talking and it was great. 500 00:21:56,880 --> 00:22:00,360 And so some people say, hey, there is no luck, 501 00:22:00,360 --> 00:22:03,520 there's this confluence of preparation and opportunity. 502 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:04,640 Well, that's right. 503 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:08,360 For me, preparation is I know my subject, right? 504 00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:09,200 Right. 505 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:10,600 Opportunity was what was handed to me 506 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:12,280 right there at the time. 507 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:17,240 And so that to me was the best business experience I had 508 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:19,480 and standup guy, great guy, 509 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:22,560 and everything we did was with a verbal agreement, right? 510 00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:26,080 And so he held up his hand, I helped up my hand, 511 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:28,400 it really was a fantastic experience 512 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:31,720 and I wish I would have more experiences like that. 513 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:35,000 Well, and we can manifest those. 514 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,920 I'm not big into saying like, oh, I'm gonna manifest this 515 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:40,160 and so five minutes later it's going to happen. 516 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:42,520 There's a lot of actions that go along with that 517 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:45,840 and a lot of cultivating and it wasn't luck, right? 518 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:49,200 So there you were living your life, 519 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:52,440 putting yourself into an environment 520 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:54,040 where that could happen, right? 521 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:56,200 It probably wouldn't have happened 522 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:59,840 had you and your wife had dinner at McDonald's. 523 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:03,800 You probably would not have run into that person. 524 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:04,880 You certainly wouldn't have run into that one. 525 00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:06,520 You might have run into somebody like them 526 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:09,760 but when you're going about living, 527 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:13,280 according to standards aligned with your target audience 528 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:16,360 and what you do, you're not forcing the issue 529 00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:18,880 like a lot of networking experiences are 530 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:21,240 where it's like, oh, we're here to try to 531 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:22,840 robotically build business. 532 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:26,720 That's not nearly as genuine as what happened. 533 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:30,520 I also love that you guys did the business 534 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:32,440 on the handshake deal. 535 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:35,160 There's so many great opportunities that come forward 536 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:37,000 and that can happen for business 537 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:40,040 when you're not so rigid trying to play lawyer. 538 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:45,800 I know it can feel like the right way to do business 539 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:49,760 is have everything documented and don't get me wrong, 540 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:52,600 by the way, disclaimer, I'm not your financial advisor. 541 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:54,600 I'm not your legal advisor. 542 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:57,440 Everything that I say is potentially wrong, blah, blah, blah. 543 00:23:57,440 --> 00:23:58,840 The disclaimers that need to be said, 544 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:00,680 don't listen to Jackson. 545 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:05,680 But I have made plenty of handshake deals and you're right. 546 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:08,040 Those are often the best ones 547 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:09,840 because you got two human beings 548 00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:11,800 who are willing to be human beings together. 549 00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:14,000 Yeah, there was no proposal for that. 550 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:15,400 Just said, this is what I want you to do. 551 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:16,520 This is how much I pay you. 552 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:18,200 We went back and forth on that a little bit 553 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:19,520 and that was it. 554 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:20,840 Healthy dialogue, right? 555 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:24,560 Negotiations, so many people think that negotiation means 556 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:28,040 negotiating with terrorists, right? 557 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:29,760 Hostile negotiations. 558 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:32,640 Now negotiation means healthy dialogue ideally. 559 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:34,560 I agree. 560 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:35,400 I will add this. 561 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,160 I had one of my colleagues tell me, she goes, 562 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:41,400 I had some of my, I told her that story and she says, 563 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:42,240 you know what? 564 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:44,120 She goes, I got some of my best clients 565 00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:46,000 while I was on vacation. 566 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:47,840 So same kind of thing. 567 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:49,320 Yep, exactly. 568 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:52,040 So let's talk about another powerful lesson. 569 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:54,520 So what powerful lesson comes to mind 570 00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:56,600 when you think about being in front of visionaries 571 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:58,480 who can learn from your experience? 572 00:24:59,960 --> 00:25:02,640 So we touched on it before. 573 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:06,400 If you're a visionary, realize that you have blind spots. 574 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:10,240 And so again, there's visionaries typically, 575 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:13,360 big thinkers, big picture thinkers, 30,000 feet, 576 00:25:13,360 --> 00:25:17,600 but a lot of people that take care of the details 577 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:21,480 or a task driven people, they like that stuff. 578 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:24,120 And the visionary needs, if they wanna complete a task 579 00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:26,880 or if they wanna get their idea off the ground, 580 00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:31,360 they need to seek out some of those other people 581 00:25:31,360 --> 00:25:34,920 and realize that they have the different skillset. 582 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:37,600 There are people out there who are driven by task. 583 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:39,720 Just tell me what to do and I'll go out and do it. 584 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:42,480 People out there that are driven by data, 585 00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:44,560 data and setting up processes. 586 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:46,840 They look at the task people and go, hey, 587 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:49,960 I know you're doing this, but let's systematize it 588 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:51,840 to make sure we do it right every time. 589 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,720 And the visionary has to realize what their blind spots are 590 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:56,480 and find those people. 591 00:25:57,800 --> 00:25:58,640 I love that. 592 00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:01,000 And so there's a level of maturity here 593 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:02,320 that you're talking about. 594 00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:03,840 And that's that, it doesn't matter. 595 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:06,120 You can be 19 and be mature. 596 00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:08,360 You don't have to have 10 years of experience in business 597 00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:10,560 to be a great business owner. 598 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:13,240 I find that that's taste more often. 599 00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:15,480 Those who are 40 years old, 600 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:17,640 those who've had the business ownership experience 601 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:21,120 for eight years, they tend to have more stability 602 00:26:21,120 --> 00:26:22,880 because of the experiences that they've had. 603 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:25,440 They tend to make more room for others 604 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,560 because they've been through their own transitions of life 605 00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:30,880 and figuring out who they are and their identity. 606 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:31,720 What does that look like? 607 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:33,520 I think it's brilliant. 608 00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:36,560 So anybody who's younger and listening in 609 00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:39,520 or maybe who has a whole team of cheerleaders 610 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:41,360 that are just like you, 611 00:26:41,360 --> 00:26:44,280 it might be a really good idea to take a step back 612 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:45,760 and look and say, okay, 613 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:50,520 how do I make space for all the people who love 614 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:54,720 what I complain about or love what I hate to do? 615 00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:57,920 And how do I, that leads to, I guess, 616 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:00,560 maturity number two, which has been on my mind a lot. 617 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:03,720 You gotta let people lead. 618 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:04,560 Yeah. 619 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:08,920 And one of the things that happens often, 620 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:10,480 I would say, I don't know, 621 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:13,560 maybe 20 to 40% of the time, 622 00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:14,920 I'm not gonna pin it down yet, 623 00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:17,360 but in our pre-show environment, 624 00:27:17,360 --> 00:27:20,920 when people come on to qualify for this show, 625 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:23,240 you're one of the exemplary guests, Ron, 626 00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:25,280 like your leadership stood out. 627 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:28,920 You allowed the process to progress naturally. 628 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:31,720 There's a lot of people who come into the pre-show 629 00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:35,840 and they immediately start dominating the meeting. 630 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:37,560 They immediately take control 631 00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:41,480 and they want to determine their own outcome for how it goes. 632 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:45,000 And it actually derails the entire process for one. 633 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:47,760 Two, they never really get to see who I am 634 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:49,160 and how I do things, 635 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:52,200 because now I have to cater to what they want 636 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:53,760 the experience to be like. 637 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:58,520 So you end up, what's that word for it? 638 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:00,880 You end up becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy 639 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:07,080 of creating a fabricated environment for your experiences 640 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:11,200 rather than being a leader who steps back and listens 641 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:12,880 and allows the process to unfold 642 00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:14,520 so you can naturally see how people behave 643 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:16,160 and how they interact. 644 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:17,760 What are your thoughts on that as a leader? 645 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:20,600 You've had to experience that a ton throughout your career. 646 00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:22,680 Well, I agree with you. 647 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:26,480 The big thing is that there's letting go is big. 648 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:28,040 Two words, let go, right? 649 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:30,240 Let go of perfectionism, because that's a big thing. 650 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:34,360 I suffered from it as well, as I'm sure most do, right? 651 00:28:34,360 --> 00:28:36,680 You just realize that, 652 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:38,360 I gotta let go of this perfectionism 653 00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:40,920 if I'm gonna get something done, right? 654 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:45,040 And then letting go of control, that's a big one, right? 655 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:48,680 And I have the best ideas, I'm the idea person here, 656 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:50,520 and I'm the only one, right? 657 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:52,520 And so it's like, no, that's not really true 658 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:54,920 because I don't think I've ever had an idea 659 00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:57,400 that someone else didn't make better, right? 660 00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,480 And so you see something that's a brilliant idea, 661 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:02,480 and then there's other people that'll jump on it 662 00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:04,080 and just keep expanding upon it 663 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:06,200 to make it that much better, right? 664 00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:09,360 So there's this thing, there's this letting go 665 00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:10,720 and then being open, right? 666 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:12,920 And just being open to other perspectives, 667 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:17,920 being open to uncertainty, being open to failure, right? 668 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:20,760 And then being humble too, right? 669 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:22,920 Humility, we talked about that. 670 00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:24,920 Humility, I saw one of your other, 671 00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:27,160 you were speaking with one of your other guests 672 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:29,920 on a previous podcast, you talked about humility. 673 00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:32,480 And that was a big deal, you know? 674 00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:33,960 If somebody comes and asks you something, 675 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:35,040 you know, it's like, you know what? 676 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:37,040 I don't know, or I'm not sure, 677 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:39,040 but let's either find the answer together, 678 00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:41,680 or I thought, would this work for me, 679 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,400 a very powerful ways, a very powerful phrase, 680 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:45,360 what do you think? 681 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:47,400 Right, right? 682 00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:49,600 I think you need an answer that way. 683 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:51,000 Great answers that way. 684 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:52,880 So there's that combination of, you know, 685 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:55,960 to sum it up, you know, be open, you know, 686 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:58,760 and be open and let go, right? 687 00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:00,480 Those two things, you remember those two things, 688 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:02,080 I think you'll be okay. 689 00:30:02,080 --> 00:30:03,400 I love that, I love that a lot. 690 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:04,360 I love this quote, too. 691 00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:05,600 I've never had an idea 692 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:08,720 that someone else didn't make that much better. 693 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:12,800 That's humility in full confidence on display. 694 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:16,320 And leaders would be wise to pay attention to that. 695 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:19,960 So let's explore some of the opportunities 696 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:23,120 of being a visionary leader, 697 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:25,440 bringing you in as a fractional COO. 698 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:26,680 What does that look like? 699 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:29,600 Well, these days, you know, 700 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:32,560 it always starts with a conversation, right? 701 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:35,680 And then truly trying to understand 702 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:38,040 what people are looking for. 703 00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:38,960 And you know, my website, 704 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:40,360 I have to admit, honestly, 705 00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:42,320 my website could be better, right? 706 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:43,160 But I figure- 707 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,360 Everybody has to admit that, Ron. 708 00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:46,920 I'm gonna blow you away with that. 709 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:49,880 Every single website can be better. 710 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:51,320 Yours is great, keep going. 711 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:53,880 You know, I use LinkedIn. 712 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:56,160 People typically find me through Furo or LinkedIn, 713 00:30:56,160 --> 00:30:58,200 and they typically are only gonna go to my website 714 00:30:58,200 --> 00:30:59,360 to sort of check me out. 715 00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:03,280 But let's see, it starts with a conversation 716 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:06,360 and not an assessment, a conversation. 717 00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:09,480 Let me truly understand what your problem is. 718 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:12,120 And I mean what their problem is and not a symptom. 719 00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:15,040 Because those of us who come in from the outside 720 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:18,720 to help businesses or other people, right? 721 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:21,480 Typically, they'll say, I have a problem with X. 722 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:24,480 Well, just like when you go to the doctor, 723 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:25,840 you go to the doctor and say, 724 00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:27,560 hey, I've got this problem. 725 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:29,120 And then the doctor steps back 726 00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:34,000 and evaluates the cause of the problem or the disease, right? 727 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:38,120 So ask enough questions to figure out to truly understand 728 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:39,560 what their issue is. 729 00:31:39,560 --> 00:31:44,120 And for me, okay, am I the right person to help them? 730 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:45,680 What kind of help do they need? 731 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:47,160 And am I the right person to it? 732 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:48,840 Four, I offer three services. 733 00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:53,760 One of them is as an advisor, self-explanatory. 734 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:56,240 The other one is as an executive coach. 735 00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:58,080 And the third is as a fractional COO. 736 00:31:58,080 --> 00:32:02,280 Obviously, I can't take on that many fractional COO gigs, 737 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:04,400 right, but that's one of those things 738 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:06,720 where I have to really, really, at this point, 739 00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:10,960 Mike, I have to really, really like and enjoy the business 740 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:12,200 and want to do that. 741 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:15,160 Because at some stage, I think we all have to, 742 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:16,360 you know, I have three answers. 743 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:18,040 So like, hey, Ron, do you wanna do that? 744 00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:21,920 It's no, yes, or heck yeah, I wanna do that. 745 00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:25,080 That's great, and I try to keep it to a heck yeah. 746 00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:26,040 So that's where it starts 747 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:27,880 with that conversation and evaluation. 748 00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:29,800 And typically, I built a network. 749 00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:31,800 So it's like, hey, I know exactly what you need. 750 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:33,360 You actually need marketing help. 751 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:35,800 Let me refer you to this CMO person 752 00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:37,400 that I know who will be the best to help you 753 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:39,040 and let's stay in touch, right? 754 00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:41,680 So that's, you know, it's typically where it starts. 755 00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:44,480 And like I said, I evaluate their needs 756 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:47,640 and recommend the best solution, 757 00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:50,400 not necessarily the best solution for me, 758 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:52,280 but the best solution for them. 759 00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:56,040 And every discussion is unique. 760 00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:57,960 Every company is unique. 761 00:32:57,960 --> 00:32:59,560 Every situation is unique, 762 00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:03,960 which is why I use the word bespoke on my website. 763 00:33:03,960 --> 00:33:05,760 Define that word for me, please. 764 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:11,040 Unique, different, tailored specifically to you. 765 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:12,880 Awesome, appreciate that. 766 00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:17,640 I typically operate at about a third grade level. 767 00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:18,720 So that's helpful. 768 00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:20,800 Let's also do that with advisor and coach. 769 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:22,000 Two grades above me. 770 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:27,880 Well, so the advisor and the executive coach. 771 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:30,480 For those who want to know the difference, 772 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:31,640 how would you define the difference 773 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:32,880 between somebody who's advising 774 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:34,960 and somebody who's executive coaching? 775 00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:36,800 Well, an advising is to a business. 776 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:39,280 So I am an advisor to a couple of startups 777 00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:41,520 in the aerospace and defense industry, right? 778 00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:43,760 And they have a board of advisors, right? 779 00:33:43,760 --> 00:33:46,240 Or, you know, they have some challenges, you know, 780 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:48,040 if they're going, and not necessarily, 781 00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:50,480 they don't have to be in aerospace and defense industry, 782 00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:53,680 but sometimes an executive team or an executive 783 00:33:53,680 --> 00:33:56,640 just needs someone to ask a question, you know? 784 00:33:56,640 --> 00:33:57,960 And especially, let's say, 785 00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:00,160 I dealt in government contracts from both sides. 786 00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:03,080 I was a part, I was in the government as a Navy guy, 787 00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:04,720 I did program management and acquisition. 788 00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:09,520 So I worked with defense contractors on military systems. 789 00:34:09,520 --> 00:34:11,440 So I was on that side of it. 790 00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:15,440 And then as a guy who worked for a defense contractor, 791 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:17,880 I was on the other side of the contracting part. 792 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:19,400 So some of these folks that are new, 793 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:20,800 that don't know much 794 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:24,000 about the government contracting process, you know, 795 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:25,480 I'm able to help them with that. 796 00:34:25,480 --> 00:34:27,600 And there's even some simple stuff as a veteran. 797 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:29,920 They're like, hey, we're doing this thing with the Navy. 798 00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:33,200 And I'm like, okay, let me show you all the different ranks 799 00:34:33,200 --> 00:34:34,840 and help you understand, like, 800 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:37,640 whose question you have to answer first, you know, 801 00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:41,320 when they're asking, when they're sitting around the table. 802 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:43,280 Simple things like that, right? 803 00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:45,240 Executive coach, again, someone, 804 00:34:45,240 --> 00:34:49,160 I am working with someone one-on-one 805 00:34:49,160 --> 00:34:53,160 to achieve a specific goal in a stated period of time, right? 806 00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:54,600 And it doesn't have to be, you know, 807 00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:57,200 the time can vary, but, hey, 808 00:34:57,200 --> 00:34:59,400 I am trying to figure out my mind, 809 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:01,680 but I am trying to become a better leader. 810 00:35:01,680 --> 00:35:04,800 I am trying to work on my EQ, right? 811 00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:06,920 I'm trying to work on my patience, whatever it is. 812 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:08,720 I'm trying to become, you know, 813 00:35:08,720 --> 00:35:11,040 I have some visionary tendencies 814 00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:14,600 that tend to turn others away. 815 00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:16,880 I need to be able to control those work, 816 00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:17,960 those work better with people, 817 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:19,280 all of those different things. 818 00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:22,200 And so we go through a series of one-on-one discussions 819 00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:25,880 that allows that person to reach their goal. 820 00:35:25,880 --> 00:35:26,920 Absolutely. 821 00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:29,680 I think a lot of those leaders too, 822 00:35:29,680 --> 00:35:31,680 they don't know what they don't know. 823 00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:35,120 That's one of my favorite sayings. 824 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:37,240 You can kind of reach that point, you know, 825 00:35:37,240 --> 00:35:40,400 where like, and it's not an ego-driven thing. 826 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:43,560 It's like, okay, I've learned a lot of Spanish, for instance, 827 00:35:43,560 --> 00:35:44,720 and there's a ton of things 828 00:35:44,720 --> 00:35:46,680 that I can now do with the language, 829 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:50,960 but I can't catch anymore what I do and don't know. 830 00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:53,560 And I can't just turn to a simple book 831 00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:56,520 to quickly get guidance on how I can take that 832 00:35:56,520 --> 00:35:58,040 to the next level. 833 00:35:58,040 --> 00:36:01,240 It would be much faster, much easier for me to work with 834 00:36:01,240 --> 00:36:05,440 and advanced Spanish coach or trainer to open my eyes 835 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:07,560 to all of the flaws that I have and what I do. 836 00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:09,440 And that's ultimately what executive coaching 837 00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:12,120 kind of boils down to as well, I would say. 838 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:14,280 Anything you want to add there? 839 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:17,040 No, that sums it up really well. 840 00:36:17,040 --> 00:36:18,640 I appreciate that. 841 00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:19,920 Awesome. 842 00:36:19,920 --> 00:36:24,720 So one of the, you had sparked a memory of mine about, 843 00:36:24,720 --> 00:36:26,280 oh, that's what it was, it was huge. 844 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:27,480 That's what I was like, I gotta get back to this. 845 00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:28,920 I wrote it down. 846 00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:30,960 You talked about ranks around the table. 847 00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:33,720 And in the military, right, that can be very overwhelming 848 00:36:33,720 --> 00:36:37,120 for somebody who's not familiar with military ranks. 849 00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:39,920 And on the flip side, I take that for granted for business 850 00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:41,480 because of how long I've been at this, 851 00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:43,600 but it made me realize, whoa, 852 00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:45,680 I can do a far clearer job of making sure 853 00:36:45,680 --> 00:36:49,800 that I test my sales reps or any customer service reps, 854 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:53,560 anybody that has to engage with a client or a client's team, 855 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:59,840 ideally would be well-trained on POC, DMs, et cetera. 856 00:37:01,160 --> 00:37:02,280 And what are we talking about? 857 00:37:02,280 --> 00:37:06,080 Point of contacts, the decision makers, 858 00:37:06,080 --> 00:37:08,160 the influencers for the decision, 859 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:12,840 the partners, the principals, you use the tag principal. 860 00:37:12,840 --> 00:37:13,920 I know a lot of business owners 861 00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:15,560 who've never heard that term before. 862 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:19,640 Or they think of a high school principal 863 00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:22,040 versus the principal of a company. 864 00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:25,080 And if you don't know those things, 865 00:37:25,080 --> 00:37:28,600 then it becomes impossible to operate an organization 866 00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:30,040 if you don't have familiarity with it. 867 00:37:30,040 --> 00:37:34,480 Two, it becomes very difficult to sell 868 00:37:34,480 --> 00:37:36,480 because you don't know who to tell what. 869 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:38,480 Let's talk about that a little bit. 870 00:37:38,480 --> 00:37:39,520 We got a few minutes. 871 00:37:40,840 --> 00:37:43,480 Well, again, there's this, 872 00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:46,120 if you're sitting around the table, 873 00:37:46,120 --> 00:37:49,680 you're assuming that everybody needs to be heard, 874 00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:52,240 everybody's input is of value, 875 00:37:52,240 --> 00:37:54,960 but you're absolutely right in having to know 876 00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:57,040 exactly who does what. 877 00:37:57,040 --> 00:38:00,280 Like who are the people who are responsible? 878 00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:02,720 Who are the people that are accountable? 879 00:38:02,720 --> 00:38:05,040 Who are the people who are sort of just consultants 880 00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:07,160 and who are the people who just need to be informed 881 00:38:07,160 --> 00:38:09,120 or there because they have to be? 882 00:38:10,040 --> 00:38:13,600 And I think Amazon has a really good, 883 00:38:13,600 --> 00:38:15,680 they have something called the bar raiser 884 00:38:15,680 --> 00:38:17,920 in their interview process. 885 00:38:17,920 --> 00:38:19,760 And that person is just sitting back, 886 00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:21,760 not a part of that organization. 887 00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:24,760 And that person is responsible for making sure 888 00:38:24,760 --> 00:38:29,760 that the interviewee is going to level up Amazon. 889 00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:33,320 So that's pretty interesting in having 890 00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:36,520 all of those different people around the table 891 00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:38,920 and knowing who's who. 892 00:38:38,920 --> 00:38:42,200 That's important, but it's also important to make sure 893 00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:44,240 that everyone is heard. 894 00:38:44,240 --> 00:38:47,960 So the example that I gave you, it's just that, 895 00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:50,000 again, that's one of those things that you don't know. 896 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:52,800 If you don't know the military ranks, I'm gonna help you. 897 00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:55,800 I'm gonna help you, hey, when the Admiral speaks, 898 00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:58,920 this is what the Admiral's insignia looks like. 899 00:38:58,920 --> 00:39:02,440 And you'll see everybody else defer to the Admiral, 900 00:39:02,440 --> 00:39:03,880 the same thing. 901 00:39:03,880 --> 00:39:04,920 Absolutely. 902 00:39:04,920 --> 00:39:05,760 So these- 903 00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:08,000 That felt like a ramble a little bit, but sorry. 904 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:08,840 No, no. 905 00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:10,240 Hopefully I answered. 906 00:39:10,240 --> 00:39:11,640 You did. 907 00:39:11,640 --> 00:39:13,960 So you're talking to, let's say a founder 908 00:39:13,960 --> 00:39:16,440 or a CEO and they're considering bringing 909 00:39:16,440 --> 00:39:18,200 in a fractional COO, right? 910 00:39:18,200 --> 00:39:19,040 Cause they don't have one. 911 00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:21,240 They've had some office managers. 912 00:39:21,240 --> 00:39:23,720 They've had people who've kind of filled the gap, 913 00:39:23,720 --> 00:39:25,440 but they've realized like, oh, 914 00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:30,160 that's really not how we're gonna go about the COO thing. 915 00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:35,160 What are the main questions that they should be asking you 916 00:39:36,160 --> 00:39:39,120 to really get down to business and understand 917 00:39:39,120 --> 00:39:40,680 you're the right guy to turn to? 918 00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:43,360 What is a fractional COO? 919 00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:45,360 That's a good one. 920 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:46,920 Right, that's one. 921 00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:50,440 And I think it's worth an explanation, right? 922 00:39:50,440 --> 00:39:55,200 Because fractional is somebody who actually has the role, 923 00:39:55,200 --> 00:39:59,920 the responsibility is a part of the leadership team, 924 00:39:59,920 --> 00:40:02,600 an equal decision maker on the leadership team, 925 00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:05,960 but does it work 40 hours a week? 926 00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:07,520 Hold on, I'm gonna defend you real quick. 927 00:40:07,520 --> 00:40:10,400 I'm gonna dive pretty deep on that. 928 00:40:10,400 --> 00:40:12,360 I'm gonna hit this hard. 929 00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:14,480 I want you to think about those deeper level questions, Ron. 930 00:40:14,480 --> 00:40:15,560 And here's why, my friends, 931 00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:18,120 here's why I'm interrupting Ron on this so rudely. 932 00:40:19,040 --> 00:40:22,600 Ron is a nurturer to an extreme and I know that. 933 00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:25,760 And we've seen that in our behind the scenes interactions 934 00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:27,480 as well, so his goal right now is like, 935 00:40:27,480 --> 00:40:29,600 man, I just wanted to find this for everybody. 936 00:40:29,600 --> 00:40:31,760 That way everybody gets in the same page. 937 00:40:31,760 --> 00:40:34,400 But Ron, I want you to take the time right now 938 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:36,720 to dive in for the people who already get it. 939 00:40:36,720 --> 00:40:39,480 The people who are at the stage where they really, 940 00:40:39,480 --> 00:40:41,760 like they understand the value of fractional CEO, 941 00:40:41,760 --> 00:40:43,840 they might've even experimented with a few, 942 00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:45,480 maybe they did that wrong a little bit. 943 00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:49,440 What's that deeper level question they should be asking you 944 00:40:49,440 --> 00:40:52,520 or the deeper level questions they should be considering 945 00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:55,480 if they wanna like bring you into their operation right now? 946 00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:57,400 Well, one, why do you think you need me? 947 00:40:57,400 --> 00:41:01,440 And I really mean, honestly, right? 948 00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:03,000 What is it? 949 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:05,080 What's going on in the company? 950 00:41:05,080 --> 00:41:08,760 And I had one CEO say, listen, 951 00:41:08,760 --> 00:41:12,080 I think we're doing great at the stuff that we do, 952 00:41:12,080 --> 00:41:13,560 but I don't think we're doing really good 953 00:41:13,560 --> 00:41:15,120 in running the business. 954 00:41:15,120 --> 00:41:17,840 And I need someone that can help us do a better job 955 00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:19,760 of running the business, right? 956 00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:22,880 I need somebody that can take a look objectively 957 00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:26,360 and tell us really what's going on 958 00:41:26,360 --> 00:41:28,920 and be honest about it, right? 959 00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:31,480 And they really should ask, 960 00:41:32,760 --> 00:41:34,880 let me see how I can put this. 961 00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:38,240 I can come in with a dispassionate view of the company, 962 00:41:38,240 --> 00:41:40,600 I don't care who's related to who, right? 963 00:41:40,600 --> 00:41:42,440 Who helped start the company. 964 00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:46,440 I'm just looking objectively at this is what's going on. 965 00:41:46,440 --> 00:41:47,560 Here and now. 966 00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:50,440 This person is toxic, right? 967 00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:53,200 And do you know, this person has to go. 968 00:41:53,200 --> 00:41:55,160 Yeah, I know it's your co-founder, 969 00:41:55,160 --> 00:41:57,800 but if you wanna get anywhere and your best friend. 970 00:41:57,800 --> 00:41:59,240 Or your sister, right? 971 00:41:59,240 --> 00:42:01,560 Your brother, parent, whatever, 972 00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:02,800 but they're gonna have to go. 973 00:42:02,800 --> 00:42:04,240 So what questions do you ask? 974 00:42:04,240 --> 00:42:07,320 They have to be, will you be honest with me 975 00:42:07,320 --> 00:42:10,440 about what you see? 976 00:42:11,320 --> 00:42:14,080 And nobody is looking to hurt anybody's feelings, 977 00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:15,200 but I have to be honest 978 00:42:15,200 --> 00:42:17,240 because I'm on the side of the business, right? 979 00:42:17,240 --> 00:42:19,280 And there's no malice there, right? 980 00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:21,040 This is what I see, right? 981 00:42:21,040 --> 00:42:22,040 It's not personal. 982 00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:22,880 Facts. 983 00:42:22,880 --> 00:42:23,720 Business. 984 00:42:23,720 --> 00:42:25,400 Right, and this is what happened. 985 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:27,480 And as you well know, one person, 986 00:42:27,480 --> 00:42:31,040 only takes one person can really, really sell a company. 987 00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:34,400 You know, have you had, you know, 988 00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:38,400 they can also ask about my, why do you do this, Ron? 989 00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:39,280 Why do you do it? 990 00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:45,040 And I tell them, again, I am one of, 991 00:42:45,040 --> 00:42:48,720 I'm a generalist and I like to leave things better 992 00:42:48,720 --> 00:42:50,080 than I found them. 993 00:42:50,080 --> 00:42:54,160 And I, you know, will go in and look 994 00:42:54,160 --> 00:42:55,880 and I just like to improve things. 995 00:42:55,880 --> 00:42:59,400 I like to walk away and leave things better than they were 996 00:42:59,400 --> 00:43:00,360 when I got there. 997 00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:03,400 I am, you know, sort of addicted to self-improvement 998 00:43:03,400 --> 00:43:05,400 and continuous improvement and all that stuff. 999 00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:07,480 And that stuff I love. 1000 00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:09,840 I love to do that. 1001 00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:11,040 To help the addiction. 1002 00:43:12,720 --> 00:43:14,720 Right, and then they also will ask, 1003 00:43:14,720 --> 00:43:18,440 what's the ROI on working with you? 1004 00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:20,720 Right, now that is a tough question 1005 00:43:20,720 --> 00:43:23,440 because some of it suggests, a lot of it is. 1006 00:43:23,440 --> 00:43:24,680 Absolutely. 1007 00:43:24,680 --> 00:43:28,240 Right, and so some things take a little bit of time 1008 00:43:28,240 --> 00:43:29,760 because visionaries tend to be impatient 1009 00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:31,840 and some things take a little bit of time. 1010 00:43:31,840 --> 00:43:35,640 And I remember having a discussion with a CEO 1011 00:43:35,640 --> 00:43:39,240 who said, one of our ops people, 1012 00:43:39,240 --> 00:43:41,560 somebody who worked directly for me, 1013 00:43:41,560 --> 00:43:44,120 came up with this idea that was great. 1014 00:43:44,120 --> 00:43:46,200 And the CEO said, he goes, 1015 00:43:46,200 --> 00:43:48,240 well, why couldn't you have come up with this? 1016 00:43:48,240 --> 00:43:51,520 I go, well, that guy's been here for a couple of years. 1017 00:43:51,520 --> 00:43:55,600 Right, and I'm sure he had that idea a couple of years ago. 1018 00:43:55,600 --> 00:43:59,320 Right, so obviously the environment was such 1019 00:43:59,320 --> 00:44:03,200 that he wasn't comfortable sharing that idea. 1020 00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:05,640 I just came in and created an environment 1021 00:44:05,640 --> 00:44:09,280 in which him and others are much more comfortable 1022 00:44:09,280 --> 00:44:11,800 sharing ideas like that because guess what? 1023 00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:16,800 I am not an expert at what we do, right? 1024 00:44:17,000 --> 00:44:20,520 But they are, so all the problems within the company 1025 00:44:20,520 --> 00:44:22,840 and all the solutions within the company 1026 00:44:22,840 --> 00:44:24,840 rest with those on the front lines 1027 00:44:24,840 --> 00:44:26,560 and those that are actually doing it. 1028 00:44:26,560 --> 00:44:29,480 And I created an environment to help 1029 00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:33,000 where they felt comfortable voicing their concerns 1030 00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:35,520 and coming forth with solutions. 1031 00:44:35,520 --> 00:44:38,160 So that's why I didn't come up with that. 1032 00:44:38,160 --> 00:44:39,600 Right. 1033 00:44:39,600 --> 00:44:41,880 My job, Ron, that was awesome. 1034 00:44:41,880 --> 00:44:44,280 That's why I didn't come up with that, right? 1035 00:44:44,280 --> 00:44:45,680 I couldn't have come up with that. 1036 00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:47,520 You couldn't, it was his idea. 1037 00:44:47,520 --> 00:44:48,520 It just is what it is. 1038 00:44:48,520 --> 00:44:50,960 And thank goodness the value was now extracted. 1039 00:44:50,960 --> 00:44:52,760 So a way to articulate that, 1040 00:44:52,760 --> 00:44:57,760 a very diplomatic ability to voice that 1041 00:44:58,640 --> 00:45:03,640 and help them catch the combined value of both people 1042 00:45:03,720 --> 00:45:06,080 in a situation where it sounds like a leader 1043 00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:07,480 may have been trying to consider 1044 00:45:07,480 --> 00:45:12,480 how do I have one or the other rather than retain both? 1045 00:45:12,760 --> 00:45:17,600 And it's not always the way to grow 1046 00:45:17,600 --> 00:45:19,840 is looking at what you can eliminate, 1047 00:45:19,840 --> 00:45:21,920 but looking at how do we create additions 1048 00:45:21,920 --> 00:45:23,600 and cultivate new solutions. 1049 00:45:23,600 --> 00:45:24,760 So this is awesome. 1050 00:45:24,760 --> 00:45:26,600 Vision Pros, we're happy to have you on. 1051 00:45:26,600 --> 00:45:27,960 If you wanna connect with Ron, 1052 00:45:27,960 --> 00:45:31,760 absolutely reach out to him on LinkedIn and elsewhere. 1053 00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:34,040 You wanna have the social media platforms, Ron? 1054 00:45:35,080 --> 00:45:36,280 Just LinkedIn. 1055 00:45:36,280 --> 00:45:38,080 Hey, I like it, even simpler. 1056 00:45:38,080 --> 00:45:40,360 So we'll make sure to add that in the show notes. 1057 00:45:40,360 --> 00:45:42,240 Also, if you're on one of the other channels, 1058 00:45:42,240 --> 00:45:43,080 you wanna connect with them, 1059 00:45:43,080 --> 00:45:46,000 then just drop a comment on the show and let us know. 1060 00:45:46,000 --> 00:45:48,360 We'll for sure get him involved in that. 1061 00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:50,240 And maybe him or I will do 1062 00:45:50,240 --> 00:45:52,000 like the Loom video response to you 1063 00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:53,680 if you have a really good question. 1064 00:45:53,680 --> 00:45:54,920 We're always happy to give 1065 00:45:54,920 --> 00:45:56,840 and support anybody who's listening in. 1066 00:45:56,840 --> 00:46:00,240 So everybody have an excellent time sharing your vision. 1067 00:46:00,240 --> 00:46:02,520 If you wanna come on the show and share your vision, 1068 00:46:02,520 --> 00:46:03,600 don't hesitate to apply. 1069 00:46:03,600 --> 00:46:05,720 And Ron, thanks so much for being our guest today. 1070 00:46:05,720 --> 00:46:07,120 This was fantastic. 1071 00:46:07,120 --> 00:46:08,000 Thanks for having me. 1072 00:46:08,000 --> 00:46:09,200 I really appreciate it. 1073 00:46:09,200 --> 00:46:10,560 Thank you for being here today. 1074 00:46:10,560 --> 00:46:13,040 I'm really happy that you tuned in to Vision Pros Live. 1075 00:46:13,040 --> 00:46:15,680 I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions 1076 00:46:15,680 --> 00:46:17,960 as these episodes continue to move forward. 1077 00:46:17,960 --> 00:46:19,680 This is gonna get more and more fun. 1078 00:46:19,680 --> 00:46:21,480 We'll have more and more engagement as well. 1079 00:46:21,480 --> 00:46:23,600 We'll invite people to participate in the show. 1080 00:46:23,600 --> 00:46:49,920 And thank you for giving us your time.