Mike Robbins - We're All In This Together

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Mike Robbins, author of 5 books including Bring Your Whole Self to Work and We’re All in This Together, to discuss vulnerability and teamwork. Mike talks about his past, his struggles and how it shaped who and where he is now, the value of togetherness in uncertain times and his new book launching on 4/14: We’re All In this Together https://mike-robbins.com/together/ Creating a Team Culture of High Performance, Trust and Belonging.

Episode Highlights:

• Mike, a left handed pitcher, was drafted by the New York Yankees out of high school, but instead went to Stanford.
• After finishing college, he was drafted by the Kansas City Royals, where he played for 3 years until a career ending ‘tommy john’ injury.
• Mike is now a motivational speaker and an expert in emotional intelligence.
• In the current times, with Covid-19, it is important to be genuine and authentic, and to try and see how this disconnectedness can actually bring us closer together.
• Growing up, Mike’s parents split up when he was young and his dad had a mental illness. Going through that experience taught Mike a lot about authenticity and trust.
• From an early age, Mike considered himself a “seeker” of knowledge on how to be a better human being.
• In Mike’s books, he talks about how your family is your first team.
• When he started at Stanford, Mike had to come to terms with not being the smartest student or best player on the team, and, while he enjoyed his time there, it was difficult.
• Mike’s baseball career ended soon after he sustained an injury, and he officially retired when he was 25.
• When he couldn’t play baseball anymore, Mike felt very lost and did not know what he was going to do with life and struggled with depression.
• We can’t connect the dots in our lives looking forward, we can only do that looking backward.
• Despite his dad’s struggles, when Mike was struggling with depression his dad was there for him and was very supportive. His dad unfortunately passed away unexpectedly when Mike was 27.
• Think of your Ego as a human construct, or a mental construct. It is meant to keep us from harm but often gets in our way.
• Google did a 3 year study and found that psychological safety was the most important factor for teams to create high performance.
• Having open and honest conversations is a great way to build psychological safety.
• Mike grew up in a predominantly black area, and as a white person this meant he grew up as a relative minority.
• Belonging is a fundamental human need; everyone needs to feel like they belong.
• The importance of having “the sweaty palm conversation” and “caring about and challenging each other.”
• What is Mike doing for himself today to live A Richer Life?

3 Key Points:

1. Authenticity and vulnerability are increasingly important values, especially in the face of our current world issues.
2. Psychological safety is the most important element for teams to create high performance.
3. Belonging is a human need, and is it so important to create an environment where people feel like they belong.

Tweetable Quotes:

• “From a very early age I became what I now call a seeker. I was really seeking, not of knowledge, per se, but wisdom and insight into how to be a human being.” -Mike Robbins
• “I know that we are way stronger and more resilient than we think we are. We have literally gotten through 100% of everything that’s been thrown at us in life up to this point.” -Mike Robbins
• “With any privilege we may have, utilize that privilege in a way that might potentially be beneficial to those who may have less privilege.” -Mike Robbins
• “Belonging is a fundamental human need.” -Mike Robbins
• “It’s in everyone’s best interest to create a diverse environment, to create an inclusive environment, to create an environment where people feel like they belong.” -Mike Robbins

Resources Mentioned:

• Mike Robbins’ Website | Linkedin | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• We're All in This Together (book)
• We’re All in This Together (Launch Page)