Liz Forkin Bohannon is the co-founder and co-CEO of Sseko Designs and the author of Beginner’s Pluck: Build your life of purpose, passion and impact now.
Liz and the Sseko story has been featured in dozens of publications including: Vogue Magazine, Redbook Magazine, O Magazine, Inc, Fortune and others. Sseko has appeared on national broadcasts including ABC’s Shark Tank and Good Morning America. Among other notable honors, Liz was recently named a top three Transformation Leader by John Maxwell, Forbes listed her as a top 20 public speaker in the U.S. and Bloomberg Businessweek named Sseko as a top social enterprise.

Be part of “Mindful Monday” — Text LEARNERS to 44222

Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio

The Learning Leader Show

“You don’t need to be extraordinary to build a life making a difference.

Show Notes:

  • Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence:
    • They do work that taps into their intrinsic motivation and they know WHY they do what they do.
      • You must drill down far to know this
    • Vulnerable — Look at Brene Brown.  A “truth teller.”
    • Shoshin – An openness with eagerness.  Have to have both.
  • Why is the “Beginner’s Pluck” message resonating with so many people?
    • “I believe it, but not sure if I really do…” People (women especially) tend to doubt themselves too much.
  • “You don’t need to be extraordinary to build a life making a difference.”
  • “Passion is something you build… I learned it through telling an untrue story.”
  • Be driven by interest, and curiosity…
  • “I’m the CEO of a for-profit fashion company.”
  • “My ego wasn’t super involved.  It gave me the freedom to just do it.”
    • “I got so obsessed with the problem and finding a solution to it.”
  • “The work of an artist is to know what’s inside of you.  Be solutions agnostic.”
    • “The artist creates without thinking of the audience.”
    • “The entrepreneur has to think of the audience.” –>  What’s the actual problem this fixes?
    • Sit in the complexity of what it means to be a world changer.
    • “We live in a world that is so quick to critique… Show up, do the work.”
  • How did Liz learn to run a business?
    • She took a six week crash course on basic accounting and followed her curiosity to learn each skill as she went.
      • Don’t be caught in analysis paralysis
      • “The thing I had connected to me was my WHY.”
      • “You don’t get to know Step 7 when you’re in stage 1.  That’s not how it works.”  Must take it a step at a time.
      • “What do I absolutely need to figure out?
        • The MVP – Minimum Viable Product — Know that it’s only Version 1.  Can iterate as you go.
  • The 4 stages of Learning:
    • Unconscious incompetent
    • Conscious incompetent
    • Conscious competent
    • Unconscious competent
  • How often am I feeling out of my league? — You should feel this often in order to grow.
  • Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea

“We live in a world that is so quick to critique… Show up, do the work.”

More Resources:

More Learning:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

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