The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Seth Godin, bestselling author and marketing thinker known for Purple Cow and This Is Marketing, shares short, punchy reflections. He talks about embracing failure, honest self-talk during slumps, the power of generous initiative, why culture is strategy, and choosing side projects to protect creativity. Conversations touch on storytelling, luck versus persistence, and writing with an economy of words.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #281: George Raveling - Eight Decades Of Wisdom: From Dr. Martin Luther King To Michael Jordan Show Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Growth mindset Immense curiosity High level of self awareness -- "It starts within" Great vision Most important = "they execute" Relationship lessons learned over eight decades - "Be a giver, not a taker. Try to genuinely help people." Develop trust, respect, and care for others -- "It's all about love. Don't keep score. Do the right thing, be kind, but don't keep score or trade favors. That's not how it works." Standing next to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr for the "I Have A Dream" speech Asking Dr. King for the speech after he finished (and getting it... still has it!) Why he won't sell of try to profit from the speech despite it being worth millions The power of "showing up early" and "asking for what you want" Why Coach reads so much -- "The slave owners used to hide money in books because they knew slaves would never look in the books because they couldn't read." -- "If someone can control my mind, they can control my body. I will not let that happen. Books are my mistress." Information = knowledge = wisdom = opportunity = growth = success The importance of his upbringing - His dad died when he was 9, his mom was institutionalized when he was 13. He was raised by his grandmother and nuns. "My grandmother taught me to be curious. She taught me to ask. She taught me good manners. She taught me humility. She taught me to help people. She was the #metoo movement before the #metoo movement" How basketball was the "greatest vehicle for transformation in my life." Earned scholarship to Villanova -- When George was first offered a scholarship, he didn't know what that meant. Going from player to coach and why he was suited to be a great coach Becoming the first African American head coach of the Pac 8 (Pac 12) The mindset of thinking of yourself as an educator/teacher George is a voracious reader and marks up each and every page of the books he likes (I saw first hand and it's amazing) The importance for older people to have 4-5 younger mentors in their life. Ryan Holiday plays this role for Coach. The importance of self leadership - "You must take care of yourself before trying to lead others" Working at Nike for Phil Knight -- Helping sign Michael Jordan away from Adidas Focus on being a great decision maker and seeking out growth opportunities Why you don't need a title to be an effective leader In order to be promoted, focus on being incredibly great at what you're doing right now "Be so good they can't ignore you." The 10 realities of life Coach Raveling values most at age 81 Pushing Coach to write a book about living a great life -- Tweet him to do this! Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea Use the "Get To Know You Document"

Danny Iny, Founder and CEO of Mirasee and author of Leveraged Learning, builds value-driven online education. He talks about curiosity and a ‘figureoutable’ mindset. He argues many non-vocational college degrees lack ROI and suggests shadowing professionals or apprenticing instead. He explains why online courses enable just-in-time learning and how to pick courses that actually lead to skill fluency.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk. Episode #279: James Clear - How Tiny Changes Can Changes Can Equal Remarkable Results (Atomic Habits) Show Notes: "It's important to know how everything works together." Ojai, CA - Circle talking about book writing Atomic = Atom, small, tiny. Habits should be small "Habits are the atoms of our lives" "It's about the collection of habits" "They are small... but put them together... they compound and are powerful." The system is in four stages. They stages are: The cue - gets attention The craving - in the brain The response - the habit, behavior The result - what happens Feedback loops - The cookie example "My readers and I are peers. An essential part of the process is to write about it. Try things out. Everything I've published has been revised many times." The four laws: Make it obvious Make it attractive Make it easy Make it satisfying The Goldilocks rule - Steve Martin People burn out or get bored. How to stay motivated... Be stretched just beyond your capacity but not too far. "Always stay just on the edge..." Steve Martin kept expanding his sets by just a few minutes each time until he had a 60 minute set. He started small with just a few minutes of material. Make sure you "stretch yourself... just a bit... everyday." Be the person who gets the additional task done How to do this all as a parent? -- "Life is in seasons..." "If you want to double your productivity, get 8 hours of sleep." The plateau of latent potential -- A melting ice cube. A 1 degree change "Habits don't add up, they compound. It looks like a hockey stick." "Outcome based habits vs identity based habits." Focus on identity based habits. Be the type of person who wakes up early and works out. The importance of being able to delay gratification Weightlifting - Reinterpret signals. "Being sore feels good." Re frame how you think about something like soreness "Happiness is simply the absence of desire." When you observe a cue, but do not desire to change your state, you are content with the current situation "Being curious is better than being smart." Need to be eager to learn and accomplish things "Your actions reveal how badly you want something" "We can only be rational and logical after we have been emotional." System 1 = feelings System 2 = Rational, math problem System 1 always leads the way The Learning Leader Circle -- Apply Use the "Get To Know You Document" "Being curious is better than being smart" Social Media: Follow James on Twitter: @JamesClear Read: Atomic Habits Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #278: Mitch Albom - Tuesdays With Morrie & The Five People You Meet In Heaven Show Notes: Commonalities of sustaining excellence: Humility They contribute to the world - "Morrie did the bravest thing I've ever seen." Howard Schultz - The last person in line to get a book signed. After all of his employees "Some of the greatest performers I've ever met are painfully shy: jazz musicians, Barry Sanders, Joe Dumars." Tuesdays With Morrie - "He was my college professor. I had not talked to him in 16 years. I saw him on TV talking about having ALS." Morrie - "I'm a teacher. That's what I do." Why was it so popular and shared so much? "Death ends a life but not a relationship" "You can live within the hearts of people you help/touched." "You have to make time for those relationships while you're here." "I write about living. Death informs everything about how we live." "I try to write about reflecting on life." Why this theme? "I liked listening to stories from my uncle growing up. His World War 2 stories." "I spent so much of my youth myopically focused on career success. For many years I thought how far can I get?" "I wanted to explore what makes a better life?" Supporting 47 children in Haiti -- Taking two to college now. "Giving makes me feel like I'm living." "Taking makes me feel like I'm dying." Being part of Sports Reporters on ESPN Writers are critical thinkers and can be good on TV when thinking deeply Core pieces of advice: Be humble Be curious - Ask questions Don't lose self in the field you choose. Life can be brief. "Find out who you are and what you value, and do that." Advice from a security guard: Read the best books Listen to the best music Observe the best art Surround self with the best people - Osmosis Immerse yourself with what you value The Learning Leader Circle -- Apply Use the "Get To Know You Document" "I wanted to explore what makes a better life?" Social Media: Follow Mitch on Twitter: @MitchAlbom Read: Tuesdays With Morrie Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

Tom Goodwin, head of innovation and bestselling author known for provocative tech and business thinking. He discusses charisma and presence in leadership. He explains how introverts can captivate audiences and why proper introductions matter. He recounts becoming LinkedIn's top influencer and balancing a public voice with corporate roles. He urges ruthless feedback, cultural change, and seeing smaller countries as trend forecasters.

Scott Belsky, entrepreneur and bestselling author who co-founded Behance and served as Adobe’s Chief Product Officer. He talks about sustaining curiosity, carving out deep-work windows, and quirky rituals that trigger focused creativity. He explains navigating the messy middle of ventures, shifting from doer to manager while keeping it personal, and balancing big-company roles with side passions.

Joe Navarro, former FBI special agent and body language expert who wrote What Every BODY Is Saying. He discusses why exceptional leaders are expert observers. He shares how nonverbal awareness builds empathy and trust. He traces his start as a Cuban refugee who learned to read people. He explains how visuals shape perception and offers practical observation habits.

Heidi Grant, social psychologist and author who studies motivation and leadership, shares practical approaches to getting others to help you. She explores growth mindset and continuous improvement. She explains why people avoid asking for help and how to make requests clear and enabling. She offers concrete ways to design environments, prepare asks, and let helpers feel effective.

Chip Conley, hospitality entrepreneur and author who helped build Joie de Vivre and advised Airbnb, shares big ideas about leadership and lifelong learning. He discusses sustaining excellence with a personal operating system. He explains self-awareness practices, pattern recognition as workplace wisdom, the modern elder concept, and mentoring while remaining a perpetual student.