Episodes
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I had a giant smile on my face when I first met Mignon Francois, the founder and CEO of The Cupcake Collection.
Mignon exudes joy and just being around her makes everyone smile.
But that’s not to say that it’s been all smiles for Mignon on her journey to bring The Cupcake Collection to where it is today.
She started with $5 and has grown the business to do over 10 million dollars in sales.
Through the highs and lows, Mignon has persevered. And she’s done it with joy.
If you want to build a winning team, you’re about to learn from Mignon that you need to bring a little joy to what you do.
Order your copy of “The Secret Society of Success” on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs
And be sure to check out How Leaders Lead with David Novak, a podcast I produce as a part of my role as the CEO of David Novak Leadership (full update on this at the end of the episode): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-leaders-lead-with-david-novak/id1223803642
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There was a season in my life when I wanted to be the next John Mayer. When I was in college, I wrote my first song which then turned into me writing more songs and recording some of them.
I then moved to Nashville as an eager and optimistic 21 year old with a big dream of becoming a full-time musician.
I went to Belmont University for my junior year of college and started meeting other singer/songwriters with similar dreams to mine. One of the people I met there was Steve Moakler. And when I first heard his music, I’ve got to be honest … I didn’t want to like it because I was jealous. The guy was writing songs that were surely going to land him on the radio and everything about him just screamed “this guy is going to be a star.”
People at Belmont talked about Steve like he was going to be the next John Mayer. Which was impossible! Because I was going to be the next John Mayer!
But everything changed when I really got to know him.
We went on a tour together and quickly, Steve became one of my closest friends.
If you don’t know Steve Moakler, you’re about to hear what makes him so special.
Listen to Steve’s new record “Make a Little Room” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/457Ok9pnF5fAfG7lNUFqHS?si=EuYZ47fNTvSrn7-B3xt6Bg
Order your copy of “The Secret Society of Success” on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs
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Missing episodes?
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Dr. Nate Zinsser has spent his career training the minds of the U.S. Military Academy’s cadets as they prepare to lead and perform when the stakes are the very highest.
Not only this, he’s coached world-class athletes like two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, numerous Olympic medalists, professional ballerinas, and other athletes, teaching them to overcome pressure and succeed on the biggest stages.
Dr. Zinsser’s book is called “The Confident Mind” and as soon as I started to read it, I knew I had to find a way to get him on this podcast.
Because if you want to build a winning team, you need to start by building confidence.
Get a copy of Dr. Z’s book “The Confident Mind”: https://amzn.to/3SE9TTt
Order your copy of “The Secret Society of Success” on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs
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Canlis is a fine-dining restaurant in Seattle, run by 3rd generation owners (and brothers) Brian and Mark Canlis. In my interview today with Brian, you’re going to hear loud and clear what’s at the heart of Canlis: they think of others first.
They think of others first in how they hire—and the unique approach they have as they interview candidates.
They think of others first in creating the guest’s dining experience—how they’re looking to blow the guest’s minds.
I could go on and on, but the point is this: to build a winning team, you have to think of others first.
This “think of others first” approach to life and business is at the core of what it means to be in the Secret Society. And I’ll tell ya, Brian and the team at Canlis are card carrying members of the Secret Society of Success.
Order your copy of “The Secret Society of Success” on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs
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As a society, we are more anxious and overwhelmed than we’ve ever been — 77% of our population is experiencing physical symptoms of stress on a regular basis.
And while I hear so many people talking about the problem, I don’t hear many people offering solutions.
But then I read a book called “Rhythms of Renewal” by Rebekah Lyons where she shares four rhythms that we could implement into our lives to bring a little more peace.
What if we knew what to do when we felt anxious?
What if we had some tools that we could lean on when we needed them the most?
Well, in the next 30 minutes, that’s exactly what you’re going to get from Rebekah.
Because if we want to build a winning team, we need to establish rhythms to reduce stress and anxiety in the workplace and at home.
Take the quiz to find your strongest rhythm: http://rebekahlyons.com/quiz
Get a copy of Rebekah’s book “Rhythms of Renewal”: https://amzn.to/3b4EZ5P
Order your copy of “The Secret Society of Success” on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs
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I have to admit, I have a tendency of only doing things that I know I’ll be good at.
I mean, who likes to fail?!
But recently, I came across a book called “Chasing Failure” and in it, the author, Ryan Leak says, “Chasing failure took me further than chasing success ever did.”
And I’ll have to say, that caught my attention and has me rethinking my approach.
So I asked Ryan if he’d help us better understand why we should chase failure and the impact that can have in our lives and careers.
Get a copy of Ryan’s book “Chasing Failure”: https://amzn.to/3OYJnlG
Order your copy of “The Secret Society of Success” on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs
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As you’re building a business, it’s easy to default into the idea that bigger is better.
But is that the only approach?
Lee LeFever is the author of a book called “Big Enough” and in this episode, he’s going to show us there is in fact another option.
Maybe growing and scaling is the play. But there’s also a chance that maybe a “big enough” approach would be a better decision for you for a lot of reasons.
If we want to build a winning team, we need to think about all aspects of our decisions. Especially when it comes to how we structure our companies, and the products we offer, and the teams we then put together to serve our customers.
As you’ll hear Lee talk about, it’s important to “plant the garden you’re prepared to tend.”
Get a copy of Lee’s book “Big Enough”: https://amzn.to/3uD82Ee
Order your copy of “The Secret Society of Success” on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs
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Twenty-one years ago Al Andrews started Porter’s Call, a nonprofit that offers counsel and support to touring musicians.
Thousands of lives have been impacted by the work that Al and his team do behind the scenes as they come alongside recording artists to work through their challenges.
But the truth is, we’re all up against some of the same challenges that recording artists face.
Have you ever struggled with comparison or criticism or even how to have a healthy relationship with social media?
This conversation with Al shifted my mindset about some of these things and I’d imagine you’ll be thinking a bit differently by the end of this episode, too.
If we want to build a winning team, we need to learn to deal with comparison and criticism and prioritize mental health both at work and at home. And Al is about to help us take steps towards health.
Donate to Porter’s Call: https://www.porterscall.com/donate
Order your copy of “The Secret Society of Success” on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs
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There’s a chapter in my book about the importance of recognition and in that chapter, I talk about something called shout-outs.
Shoutouts are where you carve out a little time at the end of a staff meeting to recognize work that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.
And the person I learned this from is Sarah Sloyan, the former SVP of EntreLeadership. Sarah is a great leader and is someone I’ve looked to for counsel and guidance as I’ve led teams over the years.
If there’s one thing about Sarah that I want you to listen for, it’s how she celebrates wins.
When a leader can help a team set big goals, give everyone clarity about their part to play, and then celebrate when those big goals are reached, you build a team who knows how to win together.
Order your copy of “The Secret Society of Success” on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs
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Ambassador John Cotton Richmond was the Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons from 2018 to 2021. Which means that he held the highest ranking position in the United States dedicated to combat human trafficking.
John is a real life super hero! He takes down the bad guys and helps victims find freedom.
What you’ll hear in our conversation is John’s simple approach to all that he does: he’s looking to make wrong things right.
If we want to build a winning team and make an impact on those around us, there’s so much we can learn from John about how to do that well.
Order your copy of “The Secret Society of Success” on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs
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Ben Malcolmson spent 13 years as the right hand to Pete Carroll, head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
So much of what I’ve learned about what it looks like to live in the way of the Secret Society is what I’ve seen modeled from Ben.
When asked in an interview how we should show up in a supporting role, Ben responded, “Be as selfless as possible … as you help someone else be at their best, you’re being at your best … it’s such an honor to serve someone.”
And that right there is a picture of who Ben is and how he operates.
If we want to build a winning team, there’s so much for us to learn from Ben about what it looks like to support others from the sidelines.
Order a copy of Ben's book "Walk On": https://amzn.to/3OaQarr
Order your copy of “The Secret Society of Success” on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs
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There’s a minor league baseball team who’s shaking things up and turning a lot of heads.
Even playing 10 levels below the major leagues, they sell 4,000 tickets a game, have sold out every season several years in a row, and have a waitlist of almost 50,000 people.
Crazy, right?!
On this week's episode, I interview Jesse Cole who’s the owner of the Savannah Bananas.
It’s so easy to get obsessed with results—tickets sold, revenue made—but we have to focus on the process if we want to be successful. It's what the Bananas have done and it's what we need to do too.
Order your copy of "The Secret Society of Success" today: https://amzn.to/3kPlbVw
Order your copy of “The Secret Society of Success” on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs
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Most of us work at 100 mph. We have endless task lists, back-to-back-to-back-to-back meetings, we eat lunch at our desks so we can respond to a couple more emails and Slack messages, we hardly take a break to go to the bathroom or even to get a drink, we’re constantly behind … and … we’re exhausted.
This pace is unsustainable and I think we all know it.
When I read Juliet Funt’s book "A Minute to Think" the first thing I did was exhale. She gave me permission to think differently about how I show up at work and at home.
What would it look like to operate in a more sane and humane way each and every day?
What would it look like to build in some white space into our days?
And what would that do to the quality of our work, our interactions with our coworkers, and our families?
If we want to build a winning team, we need to conquer busyness so that we can do our best work.
Buy Juliet’s book “A Minute to Think”: https://amzn.to/3x9Z7vP
Order your copy of "The Secret Society of Success": https://amzn.to/3kPlbVw
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I spent almost a decade as the right hand to Donald Miller as the COO of StoryBrand. One of the big paradigm shifts in the StoryBrand 7-part framework is the idea that your brand is not the hero of the story. Your customer is the hero and you are the guide. You’re Yoda and your customer is Luke Skywalker.
There’s something unique about the guide role and it’s counterintuitive to how most people show up in their lives and careers.
What’s being the guide all about?
Simply put, it’s about helping others win.
Someone I’ve learned a lot from in my life in this regard is Donald Miller. He has been a guide to the millions of people who’ve read his books and have learned from him the past couple of decades as a writer and thought leader.
If you want to build a winning team, you need your team to show up motivated to help others win.
Buy a copy of Don’s latest book "Hero on a Mission": https://amzn.to/3LDCVy4
Order your copy of my new book, "The Secret Society of Success" today: https://amzn.to/3kPlbVw
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I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long, long time. My new book, The Secret Society of Success, is now available wherever you buy books.
In today’s episode, I’m going to give you a sneak peek of the first two chapters.
We’ll kick things off with Donald Miller reading the foreword and then we’ll go right into me reading the introduction and chapter 1.
I hope you enjoy this little preview of The Secret Society of Success.
Order a case of books and get a free, 1-hour consulting session: http://SecretSocietyCase.com
Get your copy of “The Secret Society of Success” on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs
Order a hardback or Kindle version of “The Secret Society of Success” on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3kPlbVw
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At the time we recorded this, our guest today, Shannon Watkins was the CMO of Aflac. But just a week ago, it was announced that she is joining the Jordan Brand as their CMO. We weren’t able to talk about this big move during the interview since it wasn’t public knowledge yet, but it’s a huge opportunity for her! You’d think someone like Shannon is pretty laser focused or her position and setting herself up for opportunities like this move to the Jordan Brand—but what you’ll hear is quite the opposite. Shannon paves the way for others and sets them up to win and doesn’t spend much time thinking about herself at all.
This approach is one that more of us need to model in our careers. I can't wait for you to hear this conversation with Shannon!
Order your copy of "The Secret Society of Success" today: https://amzn.to/3kPlbVw
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Dan Cockerell spent 26 years working for Disney and wrote about all of his experiences in his book “How’s the Culture in Your Kingdom?”.
Whenever people talk about culture, my ears perk up because I know that if we want to build winning teams, the culture we create is a key part of that.
I read the book (and loved it) and then asked Dan if he’d come on the show and teach us how to build cultures the Disney way.
Buy a copy of Dan’s book: https://amzn.to/3KzCZOz
Order your copy of "The Secret Society of Success" today: https://amzn.to/3kPlbVw
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When people talk about the idea of having an impactful career, it’s almost assumed that a prerequisite is that you have to make a BIG splash touching hundreds or thousands or even tens of thousands of lives. But what if I told you there’s another way? What if “one life at a time” was the best approach? Perhaps one day that will accumulate and you’ll have the opportunity to impact a lot of lives, but the people who’ve inspired me the most in this regard didn’t get there by trying to get there.
Becca Stevens’s goal in starting Thistle Farms was not to start a social enterprise or to make the type of impact she’s made in the lives of now thousands of women.
But isn’t that beautiful? She didn’t get there by trying to get there.
She focused on one life at a time. That’s been her measure of success.
If we want to be people who build winning teams, we have to focus on one life at a time. That is how we will create companies that have the greatest impact in the lives of others.
Go buy some Thistle Farms candles, soaps, and lotions here: thistlefarms.org — And by doing that, know that your purchase will help the women of Thistle Farms on their journeys to recovery.
Buy a copy of Becca's latest book: https://amzn.to/3MjCXw7
Order your copy of "The Secret Society of Success" today: https://amzn.to/3kPlbVw
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If I were to ask you to draw a line that modeled what a successful career looked like, you’d probably start at the bottom left and draw a line up and to the right. Success is all about winning, right? No failure and no major setbacks or challenges. If I’m honest, that is what I used to think. That is, until I got to know Olympic gold medalist, Scott Hamilton. What I’ve learned from Scott is that embracing challenges and learning from failure can help us win. In fact, Scott says, “Any goal will always have obstacles, difficulties, and setbacks. You will be defined not by those setbacks but by how you respond to them.” So that’s what we’re going to learn about today. We’re going to learn how to respond to the challenges we’re up against.
Buy a copy of Scott's latest book: https://amzn.to/3wkl7nh
Get the first two chapters of “The Secret Society of Success” for free — SecretSocietyFree.com
Order your copy of “The Secret Society of Success” on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs
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David Novak is the cofounder and former chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands, which is the parent corporation for KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. It's one of the largest restaurant companies in the world. When David was running Yum!, he had 1.5 million employees and increased the market cap from $4B to $32B. How did he do it? By creating a culture of recognition. At Yum! they valued every person’s contribution and would recognize people for doing excellent work. So if you want to build a winning team, you need to understand the power of recognition and the impact that can have on the growth of your business.
Buy a copy of David's latest book: https://amzn.to/37PKhAF
Order your copy of "The Secret Society of Success" today: https://amzn.to/3kPlbVw
