Follow The Leader

Count money, man.

Money that grits is fine.

Time told trying to told him I'm a beast.

But what's up gang welcome to another episode of the grind

cast get ready.

It's a new day today's topic.

We're going to talk about follow follow the leader follow the

leader.

We've all heard that game.

I think his kids follow the leader.

You know, I think in order to be a great leader, you must

first be a great follower and that's understand the word

great in there.

I think people can be decent in leadership.

I think people could be even good in leadership.

But long term, long lasting leadership, I think in my

experience has been reflected by the ability that somebody

has to follow the right leader.

So when I look back on my career in business specifically,

you know, I look back at something I'm proud of is my mentors

and leaders that helped me when I first started in business,

you know, they're on record as saying that I'm the most

coachable person that they've ever coached or taught.

I don't know if that record still stands or not.

But I know that my approach to things was to be this even

I had a ego that I over time learned to subside and in couple

with the right levels of humility.

I approached this thing.

I remember my heart and it was literally whatever they tell me

to do I'm going to do whatever they say I'm going to do.

And I'm going to execute it.

I don't care if they said wash the floors was my attitude.

I don't care if they said wash the bathroom floor.

And I think that had so much to do with my early success in

business being able to be that level of student and literally be

playing somebody's hand and just say mold me please.

And the people that I've coached over the years is just something

about if I look at the list of the greatest of who who who

excelled the quickest or who excelled for the longest period of

time the greatest when I look at that list one thing they all

have in common as they were the best students.

They were the most coachable people in a group of others.

And I think that's really what sets people apart.

And so what I've learned is that the best followers ended up

being the best leaders.

And when you're trying to find a leader to follow,

make sure you're following the right leader first of all.

But leaders with discipline and humility when you could find

that level of leader to follow that's key because I think the

first step in follow the leader is identify who has what you want.

Who who has whatever game, whatever you're trying to get good at,

who's the leader there?

Who has what you want and identify that?

And then when you start to follow that person, do the small things that

they say, not just the big things.

I think that's what separates people in the game of follow the leader is

what percentage of the script can you follow?

What percentage of the formula can you follow from zero to 100% and the

closer you get to that 100% the closer you get to the results.

But the closer you get to the top of that, the less people that are left.

Let's say there's 100 people trying to be coached by the time you do 80%

of the things, you know, you're left with probably only 10 people that are

really, really in tune with that coaching.

And when you get to doing 90% of the things or 95% of the things you start

to find that there's only maybe five 10 people left that are willing to do

95% of those things.

But but the last 5% the small things.

The doing 100% of what they tell you the 99 to 100% of what they tell you,

that's reserved for the special ones.

For the one or two, but but the thing is that everybody seeks out for that

one or two, they seek out for that one percent, they seek out for that

greatness and in results, but they don't understand that tied to that is can

you execute like a one percent or in doing the small things that separates

people. It's not the 95% of what you do that they told you to do is can you

do 100% can you do those those two or three things you really don't want to do

that they're telling you to do can you execute that thing and especially comes

down to the things that you don't want to do that they say.

Usually that's the key is here's all the things you got to do.

And when you look at that list, you're like, yeah, I'm down for that.

I'm excited. I'm ready to follow you coach.

I'm ready to echo.

Oh, but that one.

I don't know if I want to do that one consistently.

I don't know if I want to whatever it is.

I don't know if I want to go to wrestling practice at seven o'clock at night.

I don't know if I want to go to church on Sundays.

I don't know if I want to drink a gallon of water.

I don't know everything else I got it, but I don't know about this.

I don't want to write the business.

I don't know that that's where you start to separate yourself from good to

great. That's where you start to separate yourself from maybe even great to

Hall of Fame status is can you do the things that your coach is telling you to do

that you don't want to do?

And then I think the next step in following the leaders is being able to ask the

leader that you're trying to follow for honest to God feedback.

And this is this is critical.

You know, typically I find that you know, leaders are are, you know, one of two

ways. They're either too hard sometimes on people and they're delivering

stuff so rough that people can't grasp it or they're on the other end and

they're maybe a little bit too soft on people.

You need to be in the middle, but I think a lot of the coaching is on the

student because once you've been coaching for any period of time,

you realize that most people are soft.

And you realize that most people can't take, you know, there was that old

movie clip where they said, you want the truth?

You can't handle the truth like that you start realizing most people can't

handle the truth because sometimes being real or being hard or or saying things that people

don't like is really just telling people the truth is, you know, I heard John Maxwell say,

and I mean, this is one that just is become a part of me that stuck out to me as leadership

is disappointing people at a rate that they can stand.

And so if I'm coaching you,

and I really need to lead you, but I don't think that you could stand

this rate that I need to give to you to make you as good as you want to be right now,

then I got to wait till I think you could stand it.

Some people can never stand it.

Some people take some a year or two years to be able to take what it is that the coach wants

to give them. But if you want to expedite that process, try to make sure that your coaches know.

Here what I'm saying. And don't say it unless you're really willing to stick to it and you

could take the heat. You know what they say? You can't take the heat, get you out the kitchen.

And so you got to be able to tell your coach, tell your leader, tell your mentor, listen,

hold no punches. Don't wait a day. Anything you think that I need to hear that's going to make me

better, please give me that feedback. That will expedite how fast that you can move because your

coach may be hesitant on telling you what it is that you need because most people can't take it.

And so then it comes down to when it comes down to levels of coachability,

I think you'll have those people that want to be outspoken, want to be heard,

want to have their opinion heard. I mean, and who don't, but there's just levels to it.

And sometimes the enemy of being super coachable is that thing in your head

when you hear people say, well, I think they just want a yes person to just tell them yes,

or just tell them, yes, man, or just tell them everything they want to hear. As a leader,

I could tell you that can't be you if you want to grow. You can't only want to hear

what you want to hear. You got to be wanting to hear what you need to hear. And a lot of times the

good feedback that you're going to get is right from the players, players on the field.

But understand once you're open with your feedback to the leader or the coach,

and they've had an opportunity to digest that and then you guys come up with, you know,

they come up with, well, here's here's what I'm going to do about it. They could do one of a

couple things. They could say, I, I appreciate that feedback. And I'm going to modify this coaching

and make that adjustment. I appreciate that feedback. And I'm going to make a complete adjustment

or I appreciate that feedback, but I'm not making any changes in adjustments.

And you got to be cool with once you give them the feedback any one of those three that they

choose to have because sometimes they may say, I appreciate that feedback, but I'm not making any

adjustments. This is the way it needs. This is the way it got to be. And I think once you're open with

your coach, if they were to run with a play call that is not really what you suggested or what you

want, the key to the loyalty aspect of it and coachability aspect of it now is I'm going to run with

that play call that you called like it was my own deep in my heart, even if it wasn't what I suggested.

Even if I suggested a change, once I've had an opportunity to be heard and the coach sticks with

whatever it is, I'm running that play call like it was my own. I think the next step to following

the leader is asking specific questions constantly to the details. I can't stress to you enough,

the difference between 95% of it and doing 100% of it or 98% of it versus 100% of it. Those are

the few percentages that starts to separate people. And I think you can get those percentages by

asking specific questions constantly, detail. And I think what I've done that has helped me is

wrote down specific questions in my notes in my phone for people that provide mentorship to me

in guidance. And I have people that guide me in different walks of life, all different areas

of my life that I ask questions to. And so I have a note segment in my phone that says this person

questions, Tressel questions, Isaac questions, this one questions, constant questions.

And as the month goes on, as the day goes on, as the week goes on, I don't know if you're anything

like me, I could be in the sauna, I could be in the shower, I could be working out. Sometimes I just

get a question, something hits me. And if you don't write it down, you're going to forget it. And so I

keep this list of questions that helps me to ask the right questions. You know, recently I just got

done, you know, doing a Jiu-Jitsu tournament, the Illinois State Jiu-Jitsu Championships by New

Breed in Chicago. And so I was cutting some weight. And I got decent knowledge on how to cut weight,

but I had access to people that that's what they do for a living, professional fighters.

And I'm talking about if you were to ask those people, two people specifically, that I was picking

their brain on this weight cut, what to eat, what not to eat, what to do, what they would tell you,

they probably would borderline say that it was insane how many small detailed questions and how

much that I was blowing them up, asking them questions for every little, every little thing.

Because I don't want to miss anything. And that's the difference. That's how you ask. That's how

you're supposed to ask questions like every little small detail that you could possibly uncover

because the success is in the details. And then I think once you've started to do this stuff and

you follow the leader and you're getting coaching and somebody's giving you their time, energy and

resources to guide you, you got to show them what you've implemented. This works for people. I had the

pleasure to be a mentor for others. And I also have the pleasure of being mentored by others.

And one thing that I can tell that I try to do myself because I know what it makes me feel like

because I'm busy. I don't have time to just give time to everybody. Is it something different

when somebody asks you questions and comes prepared first of all? But it's something different when

they follow up with you and show you exactly what they've implemented based on the time that you've

spent with them and the knowledge that you've given them. And they come back to you and say, look

at what I did. Or here's what I've implemented from the things that that you've told me. That will

blow people away because most people ask questions and don't implement. Most people waste time and

don't execute. And so once they see that you're an executor and an implementer and you can prove that

and consistently show that the knowledge that they're giving to somebody is not being wasted but it's

being shared with other people. Now you have an inspired and motivated mentor that wants to give

the knowledge to somebody because they know that it's not being wasted. The next step in your

follow the leader journey is showing gratitude. Being grateful.

What are ways that you can look at who can you let's just let's just brainstorm right now together whether you're in your car

Listening your headphones working out wherever you're listening to this

Who

Has helped you

Right now like who in your journey if you're making progress in life who who can you point to that has been a mentor for you or helped you or

Impact at you and

What have you done to show gratitude? There's a there's a a big lack

in the world for gratitude and showing that you're grateful

And I think if it's not a part of

Of of of you make it a part of you and try to force yourself every week to look at who am I grateful for what am I grateful for and how am I showing people that I'm grateful?

don't wait for them to die and

And then I think oftentimes once you have success you can forget how you started

And what you felt like when you started and who was there for you

That you should be grateful for now that you got it all figured out you know this business I'm in you can when you start out

It's scary a lot of nerves

based on performance

Doing things differently very dependent on trainers and others to give you wisdom and knowledge and you know, I've watched the

biggest of big and toughest of toughest people nervous and shook

Scared stressed early in the deal

But when you make it past that point

How often do you rewind time and look at on your journey?

Who can you point to that took time out for you when you needed it?

Who can you point to that?

Mentored you and helped you and guided you and protected you and looked out for you when you needed it now that you don't need it as much anymore

Because I think gratitude for people that have impacted you and helped you on your journey last forever. That's loyalty

You know when I look at the people that really impacted me in this business

I was only there for two years

With those people that helped me when I first started in this business. I've been in this company for 16 years

And only two of them that I spend

With Jim Saracen Marcus Smith

But I'm forever grateful

To this day I try to show

Ridiculous amounts of gratitude now that I don't need as much

I still remember

If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't even be where I'm at currently right now

No matter how talented I think I am or no matter how good I think I got this business down without the jump

Without the foundation the beginning phases there is none of this stuff

Don't be that person don't allow that to be you to forget who helped you who got you and to have just this

Just overwhelming attitude of gratitude and show show your leaders show the people that are pouring into you

How grateful that you are and think about how can you teach them how can you tell them how can you show them that you're grateful

Because on that journey when when you're grateful and respectful

To people that are giving you their time if you're a leader yourself

Whether it's of kids in your home or other people

You're showing those people that you lead

How to treat you?

You know it's crazy in leadership. I'll see people that

They didn't like it

When it happened to them when they're the leader but coming up

I remember them doing these things to me when I was leading them

So they had no issue thinking about

What they were doing coming up?

But then when somebody does it to them they get upset and it's all good

I smile and laugh about it and coach coach about it coach through it and and all that but I'm telling you

people are watching you

And if you're the type of leader that says yeah, I know what the leader said I know what they said but

We ain't gonna do it that way

Your people are watching you and

When you start to coach them on doing things down the road you're gonna create a culture of them saying yeah

I know what he said or she said but we ain't gonna do it that way

Because they watch you do the exact same thing so how could you tell them to do something completely different?

But the ones that stay true to the game and say hey

This is what they said to do

This is what the leader said to do

This is what I'm following this is what we do they start to get that same type of

Of team atmosphere military atmosphere loyalty atmosphere

Cohesiveness to the to the vision and mission because they're not giving mixed signals

They're saying I just do whatever this person to at the end of the day

This is what they said to do that's what I'm doing you're coaching your team how to do that for you because now they say hey

He don't question his leader

He executes everything they say like it was written in the gospel

So we got to do the exact same thing and so I just want to encourage you to remember that you're teaching people how to follow you by how you follow your leader

A lot of times I get asked you know as I wrap this up

I get people from different industries and they'll message me and they'll ask me questions

About should I do this should I stick with this should I'm thinking about changing jobs?

I'm thinking about changing you know, whatever and and it's so hard to sort through all of their

Scenarios issues problems concerns why?

But if I could summarize

Something if I had to give a quick answer to people

Follow the best leader that you could find

With the best character that you could find and then submit yourself to that person in that mission

Followed like leaders win

whoever's a really good leader

I'm gonna bet on that coach. I'm gonna bet on that leader. I'm gonna bet on that quarterback. I'm gonna bet on that coach

To over time have way more wins than losses

How often do you see a team that's hot in the NFL?

But if you look at the last 20 years you look at the last 10 years what coaches?

What key players always somehow find their way

To the playoffs or to the Super Bowl no matter what

How

If you just pick that leader and say I'm following that guy

I'm I'm hitching my wagon. I'm hitching myself to that person. This is

Wherever that person's going that's where I'm going

You will you will end up abundantly

Blessed and showered because you're connected to that person if you can find great leadership

That's coupled with somebody that has great character

Bet on that is my suggestion bet on that person long term over the what sexy now what's hot now

I'm frustrated. I'm not frustrated. I don't believe in this when I believe in this one whatever picked the best leader

with the best character

Commit to that person over the long haul and submit yourself to that mission

And I think great things. I think great things are gonna happen

Speaking of people that that message, you know a lot of times people want

Man, can I get an hour? Can I get some time with you?

Can I spend some time with you and just this year we recently found a way to do that and for years

For years we've done podcasts and in motivation and videos and I've never

Had anything somebody could subscribe to because this was my this was my give back

This is my fun. This is my passion. This is my release my outlet my way to impact other people outside of our business

It wasn't about trying to generate

money

And and so now after having so many times people ask me that question

We started a mentorship group for those people

Because the answer was no

No, I don't have how can I get get on a 30-minute call with

a hundred different people and impact their life and so we created a platform in a way to give constant guidance and mentorship

To people that are in the industry or out of the industry

um and try to impact people and there's a cost to it, but it's not very much

and it gives us an excuse in a way to be able to help people and for the long haul on the journey so

That website is cash money mentoring

Dot com cash money mentoring dot com and if you're interested or you know somebody that needs some guidance or mentorship

They could sign sign up for that

It's a couple

Live calls zoom calls for an hour or so

Couple times a month by me and my partner to God it started me in this in this business

And we look forward to serving an impact in people if you think this podcast has impacted you or helped you

Please share it with other people so we can impact more people and thank you for joining us on another episode of the grindcast get ready as a new day