WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.160 hey everybody welcome to vision pros my name 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:05.320 is fletcher ellingson i'm your host and coach 00:00:05.320 --> 00:00:08.339 and today we're sitting down with retired lieutenant 00:00:08.339 --> 00:00:13.179 colonel ron cooper who is a uh used to be a fighter 00:00:13.179 --> 00:00:17.679 pilot and accomplished over 300 combat missions 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:22.079 and today ron is a writer he's a speaker he is 00:00:22.079 --> 00:00:25.960 a coach and he loves sharing information and 00:00:25.960 --> 00:00:30.750 ideas on powerful leadership, effective leadership, 00:00:30.949 --> 00:00:33.770 and effective communication. Welcome to the show, 00:00:33.850 --> 00:00:36.490 Ron. Great to be with you, Fletcher. It's great 00:00:36.490 --> 00:00:39.210 to be with you and your audience. Yeah, absolutely. 00:00:39.950 --> 00:00:42.109 Hey, we always like to start off with the win, 00:00:42.210 --> 00:00:45.149 something that feels good, something that's refreshing, 00:00:45.289 --> 00:00:47.829 and it can be anything, professionally or personally. 00:00:47.950 --> 00:00:50.450 So lay it on me. What's been going well for Ron 00:00:50.450 --> 00:00:52.939 Cooper? Well, let me just tell you, professionally 00:00:52.939 --> 00:00:57.399 and personally, my wife and I will have been 00:00:57.399 --> 00:01:01.399 married 57 years, effective September 7th of 00:01:01.399 --> 00:01:06.200 2025. We got married September 7th of 1968, so 00:01:06.200 --> 00:01:09.700 we will be celebrating 57 years. We've been through 00:01:09.700 --> 00:01:12.900 stuff, but we have chosen to stay together in 00:01:12.900 --> 00:01:18.659 spite of the stuff. I love that. Yeah, 57 years. 00:01:18.879 --> 00:01:24.329 That is... That is a long time. Wow. Well, it's 00:01:24.329 --> 00:01:28.090 it is a while. But, you know, a part of my story 00:01:28.090 --> 00:01:32.870 is that she accepted me and we have grown together. 00:01:32.870 --> 00:01:38.469 And I as awkward as I have been, I asked her 00:01:38.469 --> 00:01:40.969 during the time that we were dating each other. 00:01:43.739 --> 00:01:46.560 difference. And Marty is 26 months older than 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:49.019 me. If that two -year difference is going to 00:01:49.019 --> 00:01:51.640 make a difference to you, please tell me soon 00:01:51.640 --> 00:01:54.060 because I'm starting to like you. That was early 00:01:54.060 --> 00:01:58.099 in our dating phase. So that'll give you an idea 00:01:58.099 --> 00:02:01.439 of just how awkward I was. That's great. And 00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:04.260 apparently it didn't bother her, that gap. No, 00:02:04.540 --> 00:02:07.879 she told me I needed adult supervision. So I 00:02:07.879 --> 00:02:10.900 needed a person with a little more life experience 00:02:10.900 --> 00:02:14.060 than I had. Well, you know what I like? You said 00:02:14.060 --> 00:02:18.080 she accepted me and we've been through some stuff. 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:21.979 You know, if you're going to be in any type of 00:02:21.979 --> 00:02:24.439 long term relationship, you're going to go through 00:02:24.439 --> 00:02:27.360 stuff. You are not going to get out of this this 00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:30.580 experience without going through stuff. And I 00:02:30.580 --> 00:02:34.699 think what you said is she accepted me. And you 00:02:34.699 --> 00:02:37.639 know what? That's one of the best feelings in 00:02:37.639 --> 00:02:41.530 the world to be with someone. who actually accepts 00:02:41.530 --> 00:02:46.330 you for who you are and the way you are. Fletcher, 00:02:46.389 --> 00:02:50.330 you very succinctly summarized the first two 00:02:50.330 --> 00:02:56.830 decades of my life, which by some descriptions 00:02:56.830 --> 00:03:00.889 has been a write -off. It was a loss. And there's 00:03:00.889 --> 00:03:03.270 a life story behind that, but it has everything 00:03:03.270 --> 00:03:08.919 to do with those who accepted me. Yeah. That 00:03:08.919 --> 00:03:12.379 made a big difference for you, right? Well, it 00:03:12.379 --> 00:03:16.360 did. And very briefly with that, I don't want 00:03:16.360 --> 00:03:18.120 to take you in the wrong direction, but I will 00:03:18.120 --> 00:03:21.120 tell you and your listeners very briefly, my 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:23.840 father, who is no longer with us, and I'm not 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:27.539 here to denigrate him by any means, he would 00:03:27.539 --> 00:03:30.460 sometimes and frequently tell me, well, I thought 00:03:30.460 --> 00:03:33.479 you knew or you should have known. And through 00:03:33.479 --> 00:03:36.520 my analytical mind, I'm thinking, well, how should 00:03:36.520 --> 00:03:41.210 I have known whatever? And he was the kind of 00:03:41.210 --> 00:03:43.469 person that you did not question what he said. 00:03:43.590 --> 00:03:47.370 You just accepted it and you move on. And when 00:03:47.370 --> 00:03:49.610 I accepted that, Fletcher, with what he said, 00:03:49.770 --> 00:03:53.669 I believed. that well maybe i'm intellectually 00:03:53.669 --> 00:03:56.810 inferior maybe there's something wrong with me 00:03:56.810 --> 00:03:59.270 that i can't process and i maybe i should have 00:03:59.270 --> 00:04:02.729 known but i don't know where or why i should 00:04:02.729 --> 00:04:06.490 have known and i felt that he did not really 00:04:06.490 --> 00:04:10.789 accept me for who i was i didn't know i had any 00:04:10.789 --> 00:04:14.849 mental mental deficiencies but i kept churning 00:04:14.849 --> 00:04:18.670 in my head maybe i do and i will tell you that 00:04:18.670 --> 00:04:23.310 there are four men then marty now marty my wife 00:04:23.310 --> 00:04:27.110 who accepted me and one of the topics i talk 00:04:27.110 --> 00:04:30.709 about fletcher is the voice that matters and 00:04:30.709 --> 00:04:36.290 so be stay with that voice that matters and in 00:04:36.290 --> 00:04:39.980 there's a much longer story behind it but there 00:04:39.980 --> 00:04:42.779 were the right voices at the right time in my 00:04:42.779 --> 00:04:47.079 life who helped me overcome what i now know was 00:04:47.079 --> 00:04:49.600 a period of my life where i had very poor mental 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:52.899 health and so i can now tell you confidently 00:04:52.899 --> 00:04:56.720 yes i had a poor mental health i assumed mental 00:04:56.720 --> 00:05:00.939 health and mental illness were synonymous and 00:05:00.939 --> 00:05:04.060 i know they're not and so a much longer story 00:05:04.060 --> 00:05:06.939 behind it fletcher but that's a part of my life 00:05:06.939 --> 00:05:11.000 yeah and i'm gonna I'm going to tag on to what 00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:13.339 you just said, because this is an important topic. 00:05:13.779 --> 00:05:18.079 And it's one that I'd like our listeners to get 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:22.899 present to, because I know you're you are very 00:05:22.899 --> 00:05:25.819 concerned with language. Like you agree that 00:05:25.819 --> 00:05:29.720 language matters. Yes. Oh, yes. I talk on the 00:05:29.720 --> 00:05:34.519 topic words. Yeah. Yeah. Words matter. And there 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:38.930 is this phrase that we use a lot. It's the phrase, 00:05:39.089 --> 00:05:43.529 well, you should have. Or I will sometimes say 00:05:43.529 --> 00:05:46.550 to this, oh, I should have. I should have gone 00:05:46.550 --> 00:05:48.910 to the gym. I shouldn't have eaten that. You 00:05:48.910 --> 00:05:53.389 should have known better. There's this phrase, 00:05:54.110 --> 00:05:58.910 the word should, and that is a word that creates 00:05:58.910 --> 00:06:05.149 shame. Anytime we catch ourselves using this, 00:06:05.209 --> 00:06:08.949 well, you should have known better. That is synonymous 00:06:08.949 --> 00:06:12.870 with shame on you. And that was something I grew 00:06:12.870 --> 00:06:16.850 up with was you should be ashamed. That phrase 00:06:16.850 --> 00:06:20.750 shame on you. You should have known better. Now, 00:06:20.850 --> 00:06:24.949 did they ruin my life? No. But did it affect 00:06:24.949 --> 00:06:29.009 me? Yes. And did it affect the way I thought 00:06:29.009 --> 00:06:32.949 I felt about myself and other people? Yeah. And 00:06:32.949 --> 00:06:36.680 that was modeled for me. So I then. Had that 00:06:36.680 --> 00:06:39.019 mindset as well regarding other people. Well, 00:06:39.060 --> 00:06:40.699 they should know better. Well, they shouldn't 00:06:40.699 --> 00:06:42.459 be doing that. Well, they should be doing this 00:06:42.459 --> 00:06:46.339 instead. And what it gets in the way of is the 00:06:46.339 --> 00:06:48.079 thing you and I were just talking about, which 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:53.879 is acceptance. If we're shooting people or shooting 00:06:53.879 --> 00:06:59.439 ourselves. That preempts our ability of acceptance. 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:02.920 And you're right on. It sounds like, Fletcher, 00:07:02.980 --> 00:07:07.379 you and I share a lot of common attributes of 00:07:07.379 --> 00:07:11.040 life. The other aspect of should is that's in 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:15.620 the past. And many times that helps us, I say 00:07:15.620 --> 00:07:19.579 helps us, actually causes us to be thinking in 00:07:19.579 --> 00:07:22.800 the past rather than today and in the future. 00:07:24.410 --> 00:07:27.750 I will tell you the voices I listen to help me 00:07:27.750 --> 00:07:32.970 transition from the past in what was a negative 00:07:32.970 --> 00:07:37.170 past and help me think into the future. So very, 00:07:37.250 --> 00:07:40.329 very important. And words matter. And we need 00:07:40.329 --> 00:07:45.949 to be aware of those things. Absolutely. So we're 00:07:45.949 --> 00:07:47.689 on this show. It's called Vision Pros, as you 00:07:47.689 --> 00:07:51.110 know. And so. We're interested in what people's 00:07:51.110 --> 00:07:55.029 vision are and how we can help them promote that 00:07:55.029 --> 00:07:57.730 and live into it. So my next question for you, 00:07:57.790 --> 00:07:59.730 because you've had a lot of different chapters 00:07:59.730 --> 00:08:02.269 in your life. But what I'm interested to know 00:08:02.269 --> 00:08:07.230 is, Ron, what is your vision now? That's a very 00:08:07.230 --> 00:08:09.990 important question. And I help others determine 00:08:09.990 --> 00:08:14.649 their purpose, vision. And with that, Fletcher, 00:08:14.709 --> 00:08:17.949 I will tell you my vision is to be a catalyst. 00:08:18.600 --> 00:08:22.459 to help people live their full design created 00:08:22.459 --> 00:08:27.100 potential there are many people i believe that 00:08:27.100 --> 00:08:30.339 you and i are not all that different who are 00:08:30.339 --> 00:08:34.539 in organizations who might not express what they're 00:08:34.539 --> 00:08:37.669 feeling what why they're not performing at their 00:08:37.669 --> 00:08:41.169 full potential because, and there are any number 00:08:41.169 --> 00:08:44.610 of reasons, but one of the fundamental aspects 00:08:44.610 --> 00:08:50.169 behind that is we do not trust you. I need to 00:08:50.169 --> 00:08:54.450 trust you before I can explain to you what is 00:08:54.450 --> 00:08:57.480 happening in my past. I may not know. I may not 00:08:57.480 --> 00:09:01.480 even be aware of everything in my past, but because 00:09:01.480 --> 00:09:04.840 of your life experience, you might be able to 00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:09.500 help me define my past with no focus on that. 00:09:10.730 --> 00:09:14.730 knowing what the past was, you can help me define 00:09:14.730 --> 00:09:18.429 a better future. My vision is to help people 00:09:18.429 --> 00:09:22.110 define a better future for their life because 00:09:22.110 --> 00:09:26.129 there are some of us who are living the past 00:09:26.129 --> 00:09:30.549 and we need a better voice to help us live the 00:09:30.549 --> 00:09:34.370 future and actually to determine what our purpose 00:09:34.370 --> 00:09:39.409 is. Yeah, I appreciate that. And so if I want 00:09:39.409 --> 00:09:42.210 to recap what you just said, your vision is to 00:09:42.210 --> 00:09:47.250 help others figure out what or bring clarity 00:09:47.250 --> 00:09:50.470 to what their own vision is and to help them 00:09:50.470 --> 00:09:54.009 get out of their own way in order to live into 00:09:54.009 --> 00:09:56.590 that vision. Is that accurate? That's very well 00:09:56.590 --> 00:10:01.500 stated and very accurate. Yes, right on. People 00:10:01.500 --> 00:10:05.320 need the right voice to help them determine their 00:10:05.320 --> 00:10:08.720 best future. And one of the problems we sometimes 00:10:08.720 --> 00:10:13.559 run into is everybody has a voice in the expression 00:10:13.559 --> 00:10:17.139 that everybody has an opinion, just like belly 00:10:17.139 --> 00:10:20.960 buttons, everyone has one. But we need to find 00:10:20.960 --> 00:10:24.250 the voice. that best aligns with our future. 00:10:24.330 --> 00:10:27.649 We develop trust in it, stay with that voice, 00:10:27.789 --> 00:10:32.429 and we don't necessarily turn out the other voices, 00:10:32.490 --> 00:10:36.409 but we turn the volume lower on those other voices, 00:10:36.450 --> 00:10:39.950 and we stay with the one voice with whom we have 00:10:39.950 --> 00:10:44.190 the greatest trust. Boy, now you're talking about 00:10:44.190 --> 00:10:47.710 something that I really love to bring a spotlight 00:10:47.710 --> 00:10:53.210 to, and that is where we place our focus. Because 00:10:53.210 --> 00:10:55.370 what I heard you saying there is you can't you 00:10:55.370 --> 00:10:58.769 can't get rid of all the voices, but you can 00:10:58.769 --> 00:11:01.830 turn some down and you can turn some up. And 00:11:01.830 --> 00:11:05.029 how do we do that? By directing our focus to 00:11:05.029 --> 00:11:07.850 those voices that are in alignment, like you 00:11:07.850 --> 00:11:11.090 said, with our vision. And that's a practice, 00:11:11.330 --> 00:11:16.480 right? Most of us are practiced at focusing on 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:19.799 what's not going well, who's doing us wrong, 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:24.240 where we're a victim. And so it's a practice 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:29.159 to learn to focus on the voices that are in alignment 00:11:29.159 --> 00:11:31.299 with us. And the other thing I really want to 00:11:31.299 --> 00:11:34.139 bring a spotlight to is this thing, this word 00:11:34.139 --> 00:11:36.240 you have brought up several times, which is trust. 00:11:36.559 --> 00:11:42.529 Yes. This is a deep, deep subject and so important. 00:11:43.330 --> 00:11:48.970 We long to trust. We want to trust people. But 00:11:48.970 --> 00:11:52.950 we're very skittish when it comes to actually 00:11:52.950 --> 00:11:54.950 trusting people. And so I think there's actually 00:11:54.950 --> 00:12:00.029 three things that are needed for for a person 00:12:00.029 --> 00:12:02.950 to give their trust to somebody. One is we're 00:12:02.950 --> 00:12:08.000 more inclined to trust somebody. When we feel 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:10.460 heard, would you agree with that? Oh, definitely. 00:12:10.580 --> 00:12:13.559 So right on. When we feel heard, we're more inclined 00:12:13.559 --> 00:12:16.299 to trust. However, I could be heard. I could 00:12:16.299 --> 00:12:18.759 feel heard and still not trust somebody. Yes. 00:12:18.860 --> 00:12:22.279 Now, the second thing is. I'm more inclined to 00:12:22.279 --> 00:12:24.419 trust somebody when I feel supported by them. 00:12:25.100 --> 00:12:28.600 Right. Yes. When I feel supported and heard, 00:12:28.779 --> 00:12:31.200 I'm more inclined to give my trust. But even 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:35.620 still, I may not trust them. The third thing 00:12:35.620 --> 00:12:38.460 which I think is absolutely critical for developing 00:12:38.460 --> 00:12:42.519 trust with people is when I feel safe with Ron, 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:46.440 when I feel safe with him, and I feel heard, 00:12:46.679 --> 00:12:50.460 and I feel supported, I'm going to willingly 00:12:50.460 --> 00:12:53.860 give Ron Cooper my trust. You're right on, Fletcher, 00:12:53.940 --> 00:12:59.460 and I use many times a term that is very applicable. 00:13:00.139 --> 00:13:03.720 with what you just very articulately and eloquently 00:13:03.720 --> 00:13:09.080 stated, who believes current tense or who believed 00:13:09.080 --> 00:13:14.980 in you. And when we have people who believe in 00:13:14.980 --> 00:13:20.159 us, we, they are willing to invest resources 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:23.899 in us, which is primarily time, but sometimes 00:13:23.899 --> 00:13:28.409 it's money. But when you, Know the value of people. 00:13:28.529 --> 00:13:31.429 You believe in them. You are willing to invest 00:13:31.429 --> 00:13:36.250 in them. And one -on -one investment, trust, 00:13:36.309 --> 00:13:40.529 and the like are what people need to become their 00:13:40.529 --> 00:13:43.789 very best. Absolutely. Yeah, well said. Well 00:13:43.789 --> 00:13:49.570 said. So my next question for you is, why is 00:13:49.570 --> 00:13:52.710 all this important to you? Why do you want to 00:13:52.710 --> 00:13:56.039 spend your time helping others? I want to help 00:13:56.039 --> 00:13:59.019 others because, again, it has to do with potential. 00:13:59.419 --> 00:14:04.019 And there are many people who are not performing 00:14:04.019 --> 00:14:07.200 at their design potential. I will tell you very 00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:10.159 briefly, Fletcher, there were literally times 00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:13.159 in my... early life, the first two decades where 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:16.700 I could be silent for maybe two weeks at a time, 00:14:16.779 --> 00:14:19.519 I didn't want for you to ask my opinion because 00:14:19.519 --> 00:14:23.340 I doubted myself. And I have felt certain that 00:14:23.340 --> 00:14:26.679 whatever I may express as an opinion, you may 00:14:26.679 --> 00:14:29.779 question, not believe me, which just took me 00:14:29.779 --> 00:14:32.940 deeper into thought. So rather than even engage 00:14:32.940 --> 00:14:36.879 in that, I just, okay, let's just avoid conversation. 00:14:37.259 --> 00:14:40.230 I would never. in the first two decades of my 00:14:40.230 --> 00:14:43.909 life ask a question because asking a question 00:14:43.909 --> 00:14:46.549 means i didn't know what just affirms that i'm 00:14:46.549 --> 00:14:50.730 stupid now hey i can jokingly say fletcher i'm 00:14:50.730 --> 00:14:53.450 making up for lost time now so i want to encourage 00:14:53.450 --> 00:14:57.590 people to be curious yeah oh boy yeah get curious 00:14:57.590 --> 00:14:59.610 right get curious about other people get curious 00:14:59.610 --> 00:15:02.009 about yourself get curious about your thinking 00:15:02.009 --> 00:15:06.690 and i love uh that you what you just said about 00:15:06.690 --> 00:15:09.779 um the fear of of not knowing, the fear of not 00:15:09.779 --> 00:15:11.659 having the answers, the fear of being wrong, 00:15:11.860 --> 00:15:15.840 right? The fear of looking bad. Boy, I can relate 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:18.840 to that so profoundly. That was me for a lot 00:15:18.840 --> 00:15:23.639 of my life. Now, Ron, one of the things that 00:15:23.639 --> 00:15:28.480 I do that I'm actually most proud of is I am 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:32.259 quick to say, whoops, I made a mistake. Whoops, 00:15:32.440 --> 00:15:36.480 I thought it was this. It's actually that. I'm 00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:38.700 not sure what the answer is to that. you know 00:15:38.700 --> 00:15:41.460 oh i'm wrong oh thanks for thanks for showing 00:15:41.460 --> 00:15:45.559 me where i was wrong it is so empowering to be 00:15:45.559 --> 00:15:50.899 able to say i don't know where i was wrong fletcher 00:15:50.899 --> 00:15:53.720 what you just said is extremely important you 00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:57.580 are now exuding confidence which maybe earlier 00:15:57.580 --> 00:16:01.440 in your life you and at least i had very little 00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:05.419 confidence i had to develop confidence and those 00:16:05.419 --> 00:16:08.590 are the positive voices that helped me throughout 00:16:08.590 --> 00:16:12.370 life to develop what i hope to be a very healthy 00:16:12.370 --> 00:16:16.429 confidence you project that you are very confident 00:16:16.429 --> 00:16:19.809 in yourself right now which may be earlier in 00:16:19.809 --> 00:16:22.610 your life certainly not it was true in my life 00:16:22.610 --> 00:16:26.590 i did not have confidence then that i have now 00:16:26.590 --> 00:16:29.929 many people do not have confidence because they've 00:16:29.929 --> 00:16:33.620 been told in various forms well We're not sure 00:16:33.620 --> 00:16:36.740 what your worth is. Those kind of things churn 00:16:36.740 --> 00:16:40.360 over and over. Yeah, yeah. And confidence is 00:16:40.360 --> 00:16:42.700 one of the topics that's near and dear to your 00:16:42.700 --> 00:16:44.379 heart. That's what you like to speak about, isn't 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:47.590 it? Oh, it is. I definitely speak on that. I 00:16:47.590 --> 00:16:50.990 can tell you that if I were now the way I was 00:16:50.990 --> 00:16:53.429 at an earlier life, I never would have been a 00:16:53.429 --> 00:16:55.870 fighter pilot. I never would have been able to 00:16:55.870 --> 00:16:57.870 accomplish what I've been able to accomplish. 00:16:58.269 --> 00:17:01.529 And nothing braggadocious in what I said. It's 00:17:01.529 --> 00:17:04.950 just that I have overcome the past. And while 00:17:04.950 --> 00:17:09.430 none of us is defined per se by our past, a lot 00:17:09.430 --> 00:17:13.720 of our past does affect our future in that. We 00:17:13.720 --> 00:17:17.200 are building on the past to help others overcome 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:22.599 what we have overcome. Yes. And I also appreciate 00:17:22.599 --> 00:17:25.619 what you just said. Nothing braggadocious. I 00:17:25.619 --> 00:17:30.619 really enjoy your attitude. It's very relatable 00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:33.920 down to earth. There's no arrogance because now 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:36.980 some people can confuse confidence with arrogance. 00:17:37.500 --> 00:17:41.099 And we just want to set the record straight here. 00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:45.079 First of all, nothing wrong, nothing good, bad, 00:17:45.119 --> 00:17:47.420 right or wrong with being arrogant. It just may 00:17:47.420 --> 00:17:49.440 not serve you very well in some of the outcomes 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:53.160 you produce. OK, no, that's that's another topic 00:17:53.160 --> 00:17:56.420 on which I speak, Fletcher. And I will tell you 00:17:56.420 --> 00:18:00.579 that for me, my definition is confidence is about 00:18:00.579 --> 00:18:04.599 you. If I overstep the bounds and I become arrogant, 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:07.720 then it's about me. I'm promoting me. I want 00:18:07.720 --> 00:18:10.009 to promote you, Fletcher. More than I want to 00:18:10.009 --> 00:18:12.750 promote. And I will promote me in the process 00:18:12.750 --> 00:18:16.250 of promoting you. But if I lack confidence, I'm 00:18:16.250 --> 00:18:18.130 going to cross the line and be arrogant. And 00:18:18.130 --> 00:18:20.970 I'm going to intentionally try to promote me 00:18:20.970 --> 00:18:25.309 maybe over you. Yeah. Yeah. I like that. And 00:18:25.309 --> 00:18:27.250 I you know, and there's this flavor of arrogance, 00:18:27.349 --> 00:18:32.630 too. It's just like there's a flavor of like 00:18:32.630 --> 00:18:35.849 I'm better than right. There's this there's this. 00:18:36.279 --> 00:18:40.299 degradation of the other person when it comes 00:18:40.299 --> 00:18:44.700 to an arrogance. Whereas confidence, you may 00:18:44.700 --> 00:18:47.960 very well be with somebody who doesn't have the 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:51.599 level of skill you currently have, but you're 00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:54.259 not looking down on them, right? So there's no 00:18:54.259 --> 00:19:00.880 judgment about their worthiness. And that's so 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:04.240 enjoyable to be and work with people who are 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:08.309 confident. and not arrogant no and what you've 00:19:08.309 --> 00:19:13.009 just said by my life experience is i need to 00:19:13.009 --> 00:19:16.109 be aware in the context of words matter that 00:19:16.109 --> 00:19:19.369 all of us have shortfalls all of us have strengths 00:19:19.369 --> 00:19:22.930 let's identify our strengths and be confident 00:19:22.930 --> 00:19:26.150 about that let's also identify those areas in 00:19:26.150 --> 00:19:28.990 which we're weak and particularly when we work 00:19:28.990 --> 00:19:32.500 together let's Make sure to try as best we can 00:19:32.500 --> 00:19:35.420 that your strengths complement my weaknesses 00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:39.440 and vice versa. And so just acknowledging who 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:43.200 we are, where we are. And again, it's building 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:46.359 each other up. It's a mindset, Fletcher. Yeah, 00:19:46.539 --> 00:19:49.700 it's a mindset. And I really appreciate what 00:19:49.700 --> 00:19:51.319 you just said. It's about building each other 00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:54.700 up. And how we build each other up frequently 00:19:54.700 --> 00:19:58.839 is through language. It is. And I will tell you 00:19:58.839 --> 00:20:01.680 that one of the things I promote with mentoring 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:05.799 and coaching is I would hope those who choose 00:20:05.799 --> 00:20:09.819 to work with me would pledge never to consciously 00:20:09.819 --> 00:20:14.000 denigrate anyone else. Yeah. Yeah. Let's build 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:17.289 each other up. Right. Yes. There's enough. denigration 00:20:17.289 --> 00:20:20.049 and demeaning in our world let's let's be people 00:20:20.049 --> 00:20:22.190 who build each other up look for opportunities 00:20:22.190 --> 00:20:25.430 to build each other up in fact right we look 00:20:25.430 --> 00:20:28.069 for that and i emphasize let's look for the positive 00:20:28.069 --> 00:20:30.450 we'll find whatever we look for positive negative 00:20:30.450 --> 00:20:34.329 in the unlikely chance fletcher you and i vehemently 00:20:34.329 --> 00:20:37.589 disagree on whatever the topic is okay let's 00:20:37.589 --> 00:20:40.289 discuss it let's bang the table if we figuratively 00:20:40.289 --> 00:20:42.490 or literally would do that i want to know what 00:20:42.490 --> 00:20:45.849 you think why you think and after which Let's 00:20:45.849 --> 00:20:47.849 go break bread together. Let's go have a meal 00:20:47.849 --> 00:20:51.029 together because our friendship cannot separate 00:20:51.029 --> 00:20:53.750 just simply because we have differences of whatever. 00:20:54.309 --> 00:20:57.029 Yeah. Thanks for saying that. That's so important 00:20:57.029 --> 00:20:59.109 to such a good message for us to hear, especially 00:20:59.109 --> 00:21:04.789 in these times. And if we're looking to be different 00:21:04.789 --> 00:21:07.750 ideologically or any number of things like that. 00:21:08.119 --> 00:21:11.480 Oh, it's easy to find things like that. But if 00:21:11.480 --> 00:21:15.619 our mindset is I will not do anything other than 00:21:15.619 --> 00:21:21.119 consciously, I do want to edify you. I want to 00:21:21.119 --> 00:21:25.259 help you with your strengths. Everything else 00:21:25.259 --> 00:21:27.900 becomes a peripheral issue. And we need to have 00:21:27.900 --> 00:21:30.640 a mindset of knowing what the main thing is that 00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:35.619 to some people becomes a cliche. Yeah. I like 00:21:35.619 --> 00:21:38.299 how you talk. I like your heart, Ron. Really 00:21:38.299 --> 00:21:41.579 good. Hey, we're just about out of time here. 00:21:41.700 --> 00:21:45.900 So I wanted to give you an opportunity to extend 00:21:45.900 --> 00:21:48.640 an invitation to people to connect with you. 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:51.160 Maybe there's somebody out there that would like 00:21:51.160 --> 00:21:54.339 to work with you or ask you a question. What's 00:21:54.339 --> 00:21:56.640 the best way to get in touch with you? I'll pause. 00:21:56.799 --> 00:21:59.220 I appreciate that, Fletcher. The best way to 00:21:59.220 --> 00:22:03.130 contact me would be through my email, Ron. r 00:22:03.130 --> 00:22:09.430 -o -n at thecooperculture .com. That's t -h -e 00:22:09.430 --> 00:22:15.390 -c -o -o -p -e -r -c -u -l -t -u -r -e .com. 00:22:15.710 --> 00:22:18.670 Our company name is The Cooper Culture with the 00:22:18.670 --> 00:22:21.950 emphasis on culture. Contact me by way of email, 00:22:22.170 --> 00:22:26.029 and you can look at our website, www .thecouperculture, 00:22:26.190 --> 00:22:29.829 learn more about me, and I would be happy to 00:22:29.829 --> 00:22:32.769 work with people I know. As we have discussed 00:22:32.769 --> 00:22:35.930 very briefly, there are people who are not living 00:22:35.930 --> 00:22:38.089 at their full potential for various reasons. 00:22:38.190 --> 00:22:41.750 If there are opportunities to address your company, 00:22:41.990 --> 00:22:44.789 your smaller groups, whatever it may be, I'd 00:22:44.789 --> 00:22:48.230 enjoy the opportunity to speak with your people 00:22:48.230 --> 00:22:51.710 on topics. And although there are various topics 00:22:51.710 --> 00:22:54.549 on which I can speak, I first off like to know 00:22:54.549 --> 00:22:57.289 what your strategic objectives are so that I 00:22:57.289 --> 00:23:00.410 can help advance you in wherever your company, 00:23:00.569 --> 00:23:03.269 wherever your family may be going. So I want 00:23:03.269 --> 00:23:06.450 to offer that pleasure to help advance other 00:23:06.450 --> 00:23:09.690 people. Thank you so much for your time today, 00:23:09.789 --> 00:23:13.349 Ron. Love all these words of encouragement, empowerment. 00:23:13.630 --> 00:23:16.089 So thank you very much and best wishes to you. 00:23:16.539 --> 00:23:18.400 Thank you, Fletcher. Great to be with you and 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:20.259 your audience. Thank you for being here today. 00:23:20.460 --> 00:23:22.220 I'm really happy that you tuned in to Vision 00:23:22.220 --> 00:23:24.839 Pros Live. I'm looking forward to seeing your 00:23:24.839 --> 00:23:27.640 reactions as these episodes continue to move 00:23:27.640 --> 00:23:29.579 forward. This is going to get more and more fun. 00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:31.460 We'll have more and more engagement as well. 00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:33.400 We'll invite people to participate in the show. 00:23:33.539 --> 00:23:35.599 And thank you for giving us your time and attention. 00:23:35.880 --> 00:23:38.519 Have an excellent time building out your vision 00:23:38.519 --> 00:23:39.880 and becoming a vision pro yourself.