Donald Miller is the Founder/CEO of Storybrand, a marketing company. He is also the Founder/CEO of Business Made Simple, an online platform that teaches business professionals everything they need to know to grow a business and enhance their personal value on the open market. He is the author of several books including the bestseller “Building a StoryBrand.” We recorded this podcast in front of a live audience at my 2022 Growth Summit in Nashville, TN.

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The Learning Leader Show

  • “I don’t think any of us should trust fate to write the story of our lives. Fate is a terrible writer.” – It’s on us to take ownership of our lives and write our own stories.
  • Donald Miller wrote Hero on a Mission to share how his life transformed from a meaningless one without any purpose or direction, to a structured and meaningful journey to reaching his goals. His understanding of the purpose of this life and how to bond with family and dearest people was inspired by the experiences Victor Frankl had in concentration camps.
  • The Four Roles We Play In Life
    • The Victim – The character who feels they have no way out.
    • The Villian – The character who makes others small.
    • The Hero – A hero accepts their own agency. They know what they want. They face their challenges and transform.
    • The Guide – The character who helps the hero.
  • How do most value-driven people see themselves? They see themselves as an Economic Product on the Open Market — (be a good investment to attract further investment) “They are obsessed with getting people a strong return on the investment made in them. People who are obsessed with being a good investment attract further investment and get to enjoy more personal economic value. When you offer greater economic value within the economic ecosystem, you are paid more, given more responsibility and promotions, and are sought after by customers looking for value. In business, your boss may really like you, but in large part, they see you as an economic investment. There is nothing wrong with that. So how do we become ridiculously successful? By making other people absurdly successful.”
    • They are relentlessly optimistic – Staying optimistic, you dramatically increase the chances that at some point you will succeed. The more optimistic you are, the more willing you will be willing to try. Successful people fail all the time. The difference is their willingness to keep trying.
    • They know the right way to engage in conflict – Conflict-avoidant people are rarely chosen to lead. All human progress happens by passing through conflict.
  • They have a bias towards action – “There is one thing every successful person has in common: They have a bias towards action.” They don’t let ideas die on the vine. They take action to make those ideas happen.
  • “Fear is a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life.”
  • “The #1 job of a leader is to wake up every morning, point to the horizon, and let everybody on the team know where the organization is going.”
  • “The #2 job of a leader is to explain, in clear and simple terms, why the story of going to and arriving at that specific destination matters.”
  • The #3 job of a leader is to analyze the skills and abilities of each team member and find them an important role to play in that story.”
  • Apply to be part of my Leadership Circle
Resources:

More Learning:

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Episode 216: Jim Collins — How To Go From Good To Great

Episode #300: AJ & Keith Hawk – How To Instill Work Ethic & Curiosity In Your Children

Episode #303:  General Stanley McChrystal – The New Definition Of Leadership