ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
“A book,” as my friend Chris Fussell says, “is more than words on paper. It’s a complex project between people.” This book could not have happened without the help of a group of remarkable people. I have drawn from my 350-plus podcast interviews, casual one-on-one conversations among friends, peers, coworkers, email interviews, moments in the huddle, on the sideline, in the weight room, and with the great leaders and coaches whom I’ve been fortunate to play for and with.
My editor, Casey Ebro at McGraw-Hill: After our initial 90-minute phone conversation, I thought, Casey gets it. She will be the perfect partner for this. Thank you for believing in my ability to share what the Learning Leader message is all about. Your guidance, support, and feedback have made this book infinitely better than it would have been without you.
Lance Salyers: Without you, this book would not have happened. You’ve been a partner in clarifying my thoughts and words from our early informal conversations at LexisNexis to our idea sessions and Slack chats throughout the writing process. Your ability to visualize the story, use metaphors, and edit my rough first drafts made this book what it is. Thank you.
Jim Levine: A few years ago, I started asking each podcast guest, “Who is the best literary agent in the world?” Your name kept coming up, both from your clients and from those who have worked with other literary agents. Thank you for believing in me, my proposal, and the potential of this book.
Sara Stibitz: For taking my rough ideas and helping turn them into a great proposal that Casey (and McGraw-Hill) wanted to buy, thank you!
To the best bosses I’ve ever worked for:
Rex Caswell: I learned the value of taking care of your people and performance metrics from you.
Bryan Miller: I learned about the importance of great storytelling and of being someone who could walk the talk from you.
Dustyn Kim: I learned strategy, vulnerability, and toughness from you. I appreciate your willingness to be open about the struggles of being a high-performing working mom. You’ve inspired me and many others in a big way.
Sean Fitzpatrick: You promoted a “sales guy” to a very different strategic role with greater responsibility, and you saw more value in me than I saw in myself at the time. Thank you.
Sean Hough: You are a pure grinder who worked his way to big roles and led successfully. I admire that.
Scott Schlesner: A genuine family man who loves hard and showed that nice guys win on a regular basis.
Lee Rivas: A long-term mentor who gave practical guidance for many years. Thank you.
Ron Ullery and Bob Gregg: You believed in a skinny eighth grader who had no clue what he was doing, and you had the guts to name him your starting quarterback as a freshman. Your willingness to push took me to levels of performance and leadership that I did not think I was capable of. I owe my college scholarship to both of you. I learned the value of discipline, hard work, preparation, and resilience from watching you and being coached by you. Other than my parents, the most fortunate aspect of my upbringing is that I got to play for you both.
My former teammates: Tony Abboud, Josh Betts, Sam Block, Ralph Bracamonte, Matt Brandt, Dan Braner, Andy Capper, Luke Clemens, Brad Colson, Andy DeVito, Zac Elcess, Austen Everson, Brandon Godsey, Jason Griffith, Anthony Hackett, A. J. Hawk, Phil Hawk, Brandon Hiatt, Alphonso Hodge, Ray Huston, Dontrell Jackson, Terrell Jones, Mike Larkin, Steve Lawrence, Ahmona Maxwell, Scott Mayle, Willy McClain, Matt Muncy, Adam Newton, Mike Nugent, Stafford Owens, Marquis Parham, Adam Porter, Matt Pusateri, Fred Ray, Ben Roethlisberger, Tyler Russ, Scott Sagehorn, Joe Serina, Spencer Shrader, Rob Stover, Spencer Tatum, Adam Taylor, Dennis Thompson, Brent Ullery, J. D. Vonderheide, Brian Westerfield, Jon Zimmerman, and so many more. Thank you for teaching me how to work, prepare, and win.
Doug Meyer: Without you, much of the world that has opened up to me would not have done so. No book, no leadership advisory, nothing. The Learning Leader Show would be just a podcast, a hobby, and a side hustle. Your vision made it a reality and a real business. Thank you for your support, your friendship, your mentorship, your guidance, and the care you have for my entire family. I’m inspired by your love for Kersten, Jacob, and Jocelyn. Your actions inspire me to be a better husband, dad, and leader.
Dave Brixey: Your support, care, and pride in my work and how it supports the firm means so much to me. Thank you for being there when I need you and always having my back.
Brixey & Meyer team members: Thank you for welcoming me with open arms. It is an absolute joy for me to come to work every day, and that is because of you. These past two years working together have flown by, and it’s only the beginning. I’m so excited for what’s next.
My former team members: I’d love to name you all, but it would take another book.
Jameson Hartke and Parker Mays: I’m inspired and honored by your growth from being my mentees to now being my peers. I’ve learned so much from you about competing, pushing yourself beyond what you think you’re capable of, and sustaining excellence. I’m happy and lucky to call you friends.
John Mers, David George, and Dave Campbell: You were the initial hires I was so lucky to make on the original Team Hawk. Without you, our team culture never would have developed. Your willingness to help others while simultaneously being excellent at exceeding your individual goals was exceptional. Thank you.
Brent Scherz: I admire your work ethic, desire to continuously improve, and how quickly you’ve been able to learn and develop new skills.
John Bierley, Monica Brewer, Aaron Campbell, Kevin Clark, David Daoud, Monica Deal, Trip Duncan, Laura Gaddis, Amanda Geddie, Chris Gerspacher, Matt Hein, Marian Langley, Bill McKinley, Tom Ogburn, Tom Osif, Erin Shelby, Karan Singh, Laura Smith, Reinaldo Smith, Paul Speca, Kyle Williams, Carolyn Young, and all of the incredible people at LexisNexis: Thank you.
Scott Cable, Drew Callahan, Scott Dovner, Dave Dwyer, Amanda Gianino, Marc Gluckman, Michelle Marchant, Brandon McCune, Therese Mugge, Guyan Randall, David Shelby, Kimberly Shepley, Mandi Siller, and so many others from that great Elsevier team: I appreciate how you welcomed me at the beginning and have stayed in touch since I left the company.
Bryan Wish: I’ve loved working on this project with you and having regular idea-creation sessions. I admire your willingness to work and connect with others. Thank you.
Jeremy Office: Thank you for coming to my keynote in South Florida and offering such caring feedback. The deep, vulnerable conversation we had over dinner helped me more than you realize. That’s when I learned what Ancora imparo is all about. Thank you. Good to see a fellow Centerville Elk out on the road. You made that time away from my family feel like home.
Greg Meredith: I will always remember that day as we waited in line at Chipotle, you turning to me and saying, “You know, you should start a podcast. I think you would be really good at it. You have the combination of the interviewing experience and the ability to sell.” That was over six years ago. I value your mentorship, guidance, friendship, and your willingness (and ability) to think differently from the crowd. It inspires me.
Charlie McMahan: I treasure our one-on-one talks. Thank you for your belief in me and for being so giving of your knowledge. Your words and actions have had a significant impact on my life.
Jeff (JD) Kennard: I finished this manuscript the week that you passed away. You remain one of my all-time favorite teammates, friends, and human beings. Your ability to see people, understand them, and help them was beyond that of any person I’ve known. You were perhaps the most self-aware person I’ve ever met. So much of what is written in this book comes from my time as your teammate (11 years on the same team!). Thank you, and I miss you. Your wife, Kate, is an absolute champion and warrior. Rest assured, we are all committed to supporting her and your boys, Cooper and Christian.
The members of my leadership circles: Neil Anderson, Josh Ballantine, Nicci Bosco, Terry Brown, Jacob Crawford, Nick DiNardo, Jeff Estill, Matthew Evetts, Tony Hixon, Kaitlyn Jordan, Rebecca Jutkus, Matt Kaminski, Keegan Linza, Parker Mays, Lizzie Merritt, Ben Miller, Tony Miltenberger, Joe Neikirk, Larry Seiler, Kylie Sobota, Betsy Westhafer, Derek Williams: One of the most rewarding aspects of my work is the regular time I get to spend meeting with all of you. You are all growth-oriented, highly motivated, super intelligent people. We’ve bonded over the common theme of being “learning leaders,” and I’m so happy that we have. I’m fortunate to facilitate these conversations and look forward to them.
My podcast guests: Too many to name all, but your willingness to invest hours recording with me have been some of the greatest learning moments of my life. Some of the more notable ones who have been so helpful: Mitch Albom, Scott Belsky, Brent Beshore, Jay Bilas, Liv Boeree, Chris Borland, Marcus Buckingham, David Burkus, Susan Cain, Ryan Caldbeck, James Clear, Henry Cloud, Derek Coburn, Kat Cole, Joey Coleman, Jim Collins, Beth Comstock, Bill Curry, Annie Duke, Ryan Estis, David Epstein, Tasha Eurich, Carly Fiorina, Chris Fussell, Jayson Gaignard, Scott Galloway, Allen Gannett, Seth Godin, Adam Grant, Robert Greene, Verne Harnish, Dan Heath, Clay Hebert, Todd Henry, Todd Herman, Ryan Holiday, Alex Hutchinson (for helping me rewrite the first story in this book), Chase Jarvis, Phil Jones, James Kerr, Tim Kight, Maria Konnikova, Brian Koppelman, Pat Lencioni, Alison Levine, Michael Lombardi, David Marquet, Dave Matthews, Philip McKernan, Charlie McMahan, Stanley McChrystal (for the incredible trip to Gettysburg and for writing the Foreword to this book!), Cal Newport, Neil Pasricha, Tom Peters, Dan Pink, Brady Quinn, George Raveling, J. J. Redick, Sarah Robb O’Hagan, Gretchen Rubin, Adam Savage, Brian Scudamore, Simon Sinek, Shane Snow, Jim Tressel, Tim Urban, Mike Useem, Vanessa Van Edwards, Gary Vaynerchuk, Jenny Vrentas, Todd Wagner (for the dinner that started this all), Liz Wiseman (for the title of this book!), and so many more. Being able to continue our dialogue as we progress and develop real friendships wildly exceeds any expectations I had ever set. It’s surreal to become friends with your heroes. Thank you for continuing to enrich my life and be there for me.
Listeners of The Learning Leader Show: Thank you for your overwhelming support, feedback, and positive reinforcement on a regular basis. The in-person comments, emails, social media posts, etc. are fuel for me and continue to drive my passion to follow my curiosity and obsessions with great rigor. I am fascinated by deep conversations with interesting people. Your support gives me the opportunity to do what I love on a daily basis. Thank you.
Mom: Thank you for being true to yourself and always telling it exactly like it is to me and to everyone else. People always know where they stand with you, and I love that. It takes courage and inspires me. I hit the mother lottery with you, and I’m so grateful. On top of that, you are the most loving Mimi to all of your grandkids, and they love you more than anything. Thank you.
Pistol: You are the model for what a great leader should be—optimistic, always believing that things will go well, treating every day as a holiday, and always choosing to be kind to others. Without you, none of our family’s success happens. No pro football, no books, no scholarships, nothing. I will forever try to live up to the example you set, fully knowing that it’s not possible to match. Thank you for setting the standard for what it means to be an excellent husband, dad, and leader.
Matt (Berk): Since the day Nathan was born, I’ve studied and learned from your actions, which have shown me how to be a great dad. I aspire to developing the same skills you have with your hands and with building things (but I know I will never be as good as you). Most of all, thank you for your unyielding support from day one. I know it’s never wavered and never will.
AJ: I have looked up to you for a long time. Your dedication to consistently work insanely hard has inspired me from a young age. The key to your success is your willingness to show up every day and work, and that inspires me. The humility with which you carry yourself, despite your immense success, is almost hard to believe, yet I get to see it daily. I’m so proud of you, and I’m lucky that you are my brother.
Brooklyn, Ella, Addison, Payton, Charlie: I love you so much. I am incredibly proud of the people you are becoming. When we meet with your teachers and hear that you’ve helped others, that you choose kindness, and that you work hard, it makes us so proud. Thank you for being the inspiration behind all the work that we do.
Miranda: Your love and support are beyond words. It’s no surprise that my greatest achievements started happening when you came into my life. Your magnetic personality, your beauty, your intelligence, your work ethic are beyond measure. And you’re the toughest person I’ve ever met. Thank you for choosing to be with me, and consciously making that choice again every single day. I love you.