Perspectives from the Top

Winners Never Quit (ft. Jack Jarvis)

Jack Jarvis on how challenges become opportunities

OPENING QUOTE:

“If I hadn’t been unsuccessful on UKSF selection, I never would've been here, wouldn't have done what I did when I rode across the Atlantic, raised £70,000 for charity. So everything happens for a reason.”

—Jack Jarvis

GUEST BIO:

Jack Jarvis left school at just 16 to join the army as a soldier in the Royal Engineers, the military engineering part of the British Army, which enables mobility of action and denies the same to the enemy. Jack's determination and his belief in giving 100% by the age of 20 saw him successfully passing the extremely tough British military commando course and leading seven other soldiers in dynamic high risk environments. He then went on to become the first person to row solo across the Atlantic from mainland Europe to the mainland United States.

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[16:08] - Competence and Leadership

Two traits for essential leaders

Jack reflects on how all the great leaders he’s respected over the years have done two things. They’ve committed themselves to being leaders by example, never asking someone to do something they wouldn’t do themselves. And they also are committed to growing their competency. If they don’t have an answer, they’ll go and get it. We should all strive to be this kind of dependable leader.

[21:26] - The Bulletproof Mindset

Failure isn’t something to be ashamed of

Jack recounts his greatest life failure, and how it became the impetus for his greatest success. It made him realize that he had what he calls a “bulletproof mindset,” the ability to simply never quit and never be ashamed of failing. He’s since channeled that mindset into everything he does today.

[29:31] - Work Your Way Up to Incredible

A journey of smaller challenges

Did Jack immediately wake up and decide to row for 111 days across a dangerous ocean? No. In Chris’ words, “You can't just go straight to the biggest challenge of your life, because what happens is you need to go on a journey of smaller challenges that build you up and build you up and build you up. You have to go through the failures, which then become your learning points.”

[32:51] - Showing Initiative with Your Ideas

Jack’s advice for attracting investors and supporters

Jack didn’t have a concrete product or a guaranteed investment return. What he had was ideas, and he accepted his need to be tenacious with those ideas and never stop going hard at every opportunity he could find. That’s how he got the support he needed from some of the world’s most influential organizations.

RESOURCES:

• [1:17] About the Corps of Royal Engineers
• [2:54] About Jack’s Solo Atlantic Crossing

Follow Jack Jarvis:

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ABOUT PERSPECTIVES FROM THE TOP:

Discover the secrets of success for you and your organization shared by the world’s leading thinkers, doers, and trailblazers. Join Chris Roebuck, Honorary Visiting Professor of transformational leadership, leader in military, business, and government, inspiring global keynote speaker, one of HR’s Most Influential Thinkers, bestselling author, and your host of Perspectives from the Top. The show reveals a treasure trove of insights from mega trends to practical strategies and actions to take your career up a gear. From government world shapers and business mold breakers to evidence driven academics and enthusiastic entrepreneurs, each episode shows you how you can immediately use these new ideas and actions to drive your success.

Learn more at: PerspectivesFromTheTop.com

ABOUT DETROIT PODCAST STUDIOS:

In Detroit, history was made when Barry Gordy opened Motown Records back in 1960. More than just discovering great talent, Gordy built a systematic app...

"How" Matters as Much as "What" (ft. Andy Byford)

How one transportation leader makes people the key to punctual trains and better organizations

OPENING QUOTE:

“My view is you should stick to your principles. And it's certainly something I've always tried to do regardless of the prevailing narrative, political narrative. At the end of the day right is right and wrong is wrong. You've got to be flexible of course, in a senior leadership position. And you've got to understand politics and how to work with politicians, but equally, if something is blatantly immoral, illegal, or just wrong, you can't just ignore that.”

—Andy Byford

GUEST BIO:

Andy Byford is the Transport Commissioner of London, tasked with ensuring that everything from the underground and buses to riverboats and cycleways in one of the world’s busiest cities operates as they should. Across his career, he’s led the New South Wales state railways in Sydney, Australia, as well as mass transit for Toronto, Canada and then New York, his toughest challenge to date.

Learn more about Andy Byford:

• Profile
• Wiki
• Transport for London Updates

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS

[6:50] – Be a Leader in the Little Things

One hallmark of great leadership

Andy shares a story of one boss who insisted that all employees never cross a road when a red pedestrian light was showing. He believed in role modeling safety for employees and the public at large, even in the little things, and that inspired his employees when it came to the big things, too.

[17:44] – Finding a Footing in Troubled Organizations

The beginnings of cultural change

Andy Byford has made a name for himself in helping turn around troubled transportation organizations. One of the ways he does it? By honing in on the psychology of management, assessing how individuals are likely to react to certain changes and anticipating those reactions as best as possible. This proactive approach has been a major asset in all of Andy’s work worldwide

[27:30] – Radical Transparency

Sometimes confrontation is good (and necessary

As a manager or leader, the last thing you want is for your colleagues and employees to stay quiet about problems they perceive. Andy advocates for doing away with coded messages and faux politeness, insisting instead that every say what’s on their minds so that it can get out in the open and be addressed properly.

[32:03] – Bring Everyone Aboard the Train

Share your vision with your entire organization

In his work, Andy makes a point to make a video update every two weeks for the entire organization, including appreciation, motivation, and updates on current issues facing the railway. Is all of this information directly pertinent to every single employee of the organization? Not necessarily. But it helps everyone buy in and feel like they’re part of a united mission, and may just alter their behavior in small ways that add up to big transformational changes.

[37:55] – The Power of Asking

Showing empathy isn’t easy, but it can be simple

When leaders show they care about their people, those people will give as much as +25% more effort in their work, which adds up over an entire organization. But that empathy has to be genuine and known. Ask your people how they’re doing, and genuinely listen to the answers. Seek opportunities to communicate more than what you expect from them. You’ll be amazed by the transformations that occur

RESOURCES

• [1:33] New York MTA
• [1:35]BBC Announcement of Andy’s Appointment in London
• [33:13]More on the Dunkirk Operation

FOLLOW:

We'd love to hear your thoughts on today’s episode. Feel free to DM Chris on social or shoot him an email at [email protected]

Check out more episodes and content on the Perspectives from the Top Website.

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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Stockholm (ft. Bob Lefkowitz)

Nobel Prize-winner Bob Lefkowitz on the power of failing

OPENING QUOTE:

“It was through serendipity and really almost accidental circumstances that I became a scientist.”

—Bob Lefkowitz

GUEST BIO:

Bob Lefkowitz is best known for his groundbreaking discoveries that reveal the inner workings of an important family of cell receptors inside our bodies which essentially makes 30% to 50% of prescription drugs work, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry. He's currently James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at Duke University, and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[15:09] - Embracing Failure on the Path to Success

Nobody fails like a scientist

What do all the great scientists have in common? They all have failed badly at times early in their careers. Failure after failure after failure, and then success. It’s simply part of the experience— and not just in the world of science. We would all do well to embrace the role of failure in a successful life.

[25:50] - The Power of Humor

It’s about more than just levity

Why does Bob include humor in everything he does? It helps encourage a spirit of creativity. Humor is about seeing relationships between things you might not ordinarily put together. That’s also a large part of what science is all about.

[31:24] - The Importance of Authenticity

Why Robert holds authenticity in such high esteem

There’s no right way to be a scientist, a mentor, or a person— except the way that’s most true to who you are. Authenticity is often in short supply, but Robert says that when we embrace our authentic selves, it empowers us to achieve far more than we ever thought possible.

[46:35] - Robert on Mentoring

Principles anyone can put to use

The key to mentoring is individualization. What that means is understanding that mentoring isn’t about molding little versions of yourself— it’s about helping people become the best versions of who they are. Mentoring too often becomes an exercise in ego, but it should be an exercise in empathy.

RESOURCES:

• [2:04] A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Stockholm, by Robert Lefkowitz
• [8:14] A Serendipitous Scientist, Essay
• [15:09] On Overcoming Failure

Follow Robert Lefkowitz:

• LinkedIn
• Duke Profile

Follow Chris Roebuck:

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ABOUT PERSPECTIVES FROM THE TOP:

Discover the secrets of success for you and your organization shared by the world’s leading thinkers, doers, and trailblazers. Join Chris Roebuck, Honorary Visiting Professor of transformational leadership, leader in military, business, and government, inspiring global keynote speaker, one of HR’s Most Influential Thinkers, bestselling author, and your host of Perspectives from the Top. The show reveals a treasure trove of insights from mega trends to practical strategies and actions to take your career up a gear. From government world shapers and business mold breakers to evidence driven academics and enthusiastic entrepreneurs, each episode shows you how you can immediately use these new ideas and actions to drive your success.

Learn more at: PerspectivesFromTheTop.com

ABOUT DETROIT PODCAST STUDIOS:

In Detroit, history was made when Barry Gordy opened Motown Records back in 1960. More than just discovering great talent, Gordy built a systematic approach to launching superstars. His rigorous processes, technology, and development methods were the secret sauce behind legendary acts such as The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

As a nod to the past, Detroit Podcast Studios leverages modern versions of Motown’s processes to launch today’s most compelling podcasts. What Motown was to musical artists, Detroit Podcast Studios is to podcast artists today. With over 75 combined years of experien...

Collaboration, Conviction, and Caring (ft. Justin Welby)

Perspectives from a unique life’s journey

OPENING QUOTE:

“You go in and serve the people in the silos where you don't know by seeking information, seeking advice, bringing their contribution in, enabling them to feel valued, genuinely valued.”

Justin Welby

GUEST BIO:

Archbishop Justin Welby worked as an oil company group treasurer for much of career, before making a dramatic change of direction and becoming a Church of England curate. He now serves as the Archbishop of Canterbury.

• Website
• Twitter

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[1:22] - The Right Kind of Caring

The power of priorities

It’s not enough to combat indifference— people need to direct their passion in the right places. In an organization, if their ‘caring’ is centered on their paychecks, that’s misplaced passion. The caring must be focused, holistic, and centered on something beyond self.

[5:42] - Valuing People and Their Potential

Expecting the best from those you trust

A financial services leader named Siegmund Warburgwas known for being deeply compassionate, but also demanding when it came to standards of work. But this expectation reflected how he felt about the people around him— he valued them, and valued their potential to be the best they could possibly be.

[7:49] - A Community, Not an Organization

The key to sustainable leadership

How did the Twelve Apostles, radically different individuals known for bickering, confusing the mission of their leader, and shirking their roles, go on to overcome the largest empire in the world without drawing a sword? They tapped into effective leadership through a community-centered approach. The values inspired the vision, and the vision was lived out in courage through service and humility.

[12:27] - “The Sheer Pleasure of Making Things Work”

Why giving orders doesn’t work

True leadership isn’t giving orders. It’s enabling others to work together so that things begin to happen, so that they catch the ‘bug’ of satisfaction from making things work. If your people can go home in the evening and think, “We’re doing great things,” you’ve tapped into something much more powerful than authority or giving orders.

[16:28] - Admit Mistakes & Learn

“I got it wrong.”

Justin shares a story of when he was new in his time as Archbishop, when he called out payday lenders only to discover that the church itself had invested in those very lenders. Did he hide from this potentially embarrassing mistake? On the contrary, he went on the radio immediately and said, “I was wrong. I take responsibility.” The humility and wisdom to take this approach can turn potentially disastrous events into opportunities to demonstrate your values to the world.

RESOURCES:

• [5:29] About Siegmund Warburg
• [9:56] About Field Marshal Slim
• [16:28] Justin Welby Interview after Payday Lending Controversy

Follow Archbishop Justin Welby:

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Follow Chris Roebuck:

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ABOUT PERSPECTIVES FROM THE TOP:

Discover the secrets of success for you and your organization shared by the world’s leading thinkers, doers, and trailblazers. Join Chris Roebuck, Honorary Visiting Professor of transformational leadership, leader in military, business, and government, inspiring global keynote speaker, one of HR’s Most Influential Thinkers, bestselling author, a...

Leadership Conversations – Unleashing Possibilities (ft. Jamie Price)

A discussion with Jamie Price on the well-rounded perspectives that make a great leader

OPENING QUOTE:

“And so it was more of a personal awakening for me, recognizing that in big companies and small companies, taking risks and impacting the whole organization is absolutely doable. In fact, you do it anyway. If you're not intentful about it, you're not doing it well.”

-Jamie Price

GUEST BIO:

Jamie Price has spent most of his career in financial services, building his expertise through roles such as regional sales manager for Prudential securities, theme legion sales director, and onto COO before moving to UBS to become head of wealth management advisor and member of UBS Global Group managing board. Jamie then moved into the startup world as a founder of 1-800-DOCTORS, remotely connecting people around the U.S. with expert doctors and medical experts. He then returned to financial services to become CEO of Advisors Group, one of the largest independent financial advisors in the U.S. He was voted Best CEO in 2021 in U.S. wealth management for large organizations.

• Bio
• LinkedIn

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[5:41] - The Importance of Being Well-Rounded

A lesson from Jamie’s father

In college, Jamie’s father convinced him to go outside his comfort zone and take a range of classes— even those that may not directly apply to his area of focus. So he took sociology classes alongside his economics and finance classes, and found that this made him have a much more complete, informed worldview that’s not only enhanced his career but also enhanced his life.

[10:14] - Leadership is Conversation

How leading people boils down to talking to them

Jamie frequently says that 90% of leadership happens through conversation. In a leadership conversation, you don’t speak about past factors that got you where you are. You’re realistic about the present and speak in honest terms, while being optimistic about the future— an optimism powered by real belief that’s contagious to the people around you.

[16:49] - Failing and Cheering

Setting ambitious goals and celebrating when they fail

At a management offsite featuring GE legend Larry Bossity, Bossity told Jamie something unexpected: “We rarely hit our internal target and we celebrate wildly.” His point was that when you set lofty internal goals, they’ll push you to outperform the competition even when you don’t meet those goals. Then, you still have reason to celebrate.

[27:06] - Invisible Influence

You are making an impact, whether you know it or not

Everything you do influences your organization in ways you can’t predict. You influence your partners, your colleagues, and others in every interaction you have. As a leader, impacting everything is your job. Are you being deliberate and conscious about your impact?

[36:51] - When Your Team’s On the Field

A lesson learned in an office closet

After he publicly criticized a team member’s comment in a large meeting, one of Jamie’s mentors pulled him aside in a nearby closet and told him that if you want someone on your team off the field, pull them off the field. But never make them miserable while they’re on the field. That lesson applies to anyone in any leadership or collaborative role.

RESOURCES:

• [TIME] About 1-800-Doctors
• [9:51] About the Darden School

Follow Jamie

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ABOUT PERSPECTIVES FROM THE TOP:

Discover the secrets of success for you and your organization shared by the world’s leading thinkers, doers, and trailblazers. Join Chris Roebuck, Honorary Visiting Professor of tran...