What makes a power coach?
My guest, Dr. Clint Ladine, is on a mission to help leaders utilize coaching techniques to unleash the power of their teams, optimize leadership skills, and drive performance to new heights.
In this episode, he’ll show you how to adopt the power coaching mentality and break down his must-have book.
He’ll cover:
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Why blending in is overrated
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The two powerful questions that determine your success
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How to embrace an abundance mentality
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The meaning of “you become what you believe”
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How to break limiting beliefs
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The power of listening
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And more
Mentioned in this episode:
Transcript
Clint Ladine: When leaders are able to operate from that abundance mentality and really push their people to excel is really when you see growth, you see an increase in productivity. And you see that healthy culture in your organization, which is going to be winsome. And you’re going to attract the top talent.
Voiceover: You’re listening to the Build a Vibrant Culture podcast with professional speaker, coach and consultant Nicole Greer.
Nicole Greer: Welcome everybody to the Build a Vibrant Culture podcast. My name is Nicole Greer and they call me the vibrant coach and today on the Build a Vibrant Culture podcast, I have Dr. Clint Ladine. Hello, Clint. I’m so glad you’re here.
Clint: Hi, Nicole. Pleasure to be with you.
Nicole: Yeah, so he’s all the way out in San Francisco. Let me tell you a little bit about him. He is on a mission to help leaders utilize coaching techniques to unleash the power of their teams, optimize their leadership skills and drive performance to new heights. Do you need any of that? Say yes. And as a leadership and success coach and former professional basketball player, Dr. Clint knows the difference between a bad coach and a good coach. I bet you he’s had both on his journey.
A bad coach is self-focused, believes that they’re the only expert and expect you to fall in line no matter what. A good coach unlocks hidden potential, nurtures natural abilities and encourages people to fly. To that end, he has written Power Coaching. All right, so we’re gonna talk about his book a little bit. He’s probably going to weave in a couple of good things, couple stories here and there, which many are calling the must-have in their leadership toolbox.
Dr. Clint Ladine is also the owner of Successfully Coaching, a leadership coaching business whose mission is to help leaders overcome obstacles to achieving success. And he has also been featured on Fox, CBS, ABC, and NBC affiliated outlets and now the biggest experience of his entire life on the Build a Vibrant Culture podcast, he’s really in the right place now. So he began his mission as a life-changing encounter with coaching.
While in the midst of his career, he was introduced to the concept of coaching, finding it to be transformative for him, his team and his organization. He quickly enrolled in a doctoral program to learn more about the psychology and methodology of coaching and has since become a sought-after writer, author and speaker on the subject of leadership coaching. We’re so stinking lucky. We’ve got Clint here today. So I’m so glad you’re here.
Clint: Nicole, thanks for having me. It’s pleasure to be with you. Looking forward to our conversation.
Nicole: Yeah. Okay. So everybody wants to know who you played for and where you played and how tall you are.
Clint: Okay, well, I played over in Australia and Europe. Most of my career was over in Germany. Got to play against Dirk Nowitzki. That’ll kind of give you my age, a tip to my age as well before he came over here. And I am only six-three. So I was the smallest human on my teams typically.
Nicole: Oh, so he was the brains. That’s why he got a doctorate. Okay.
Clint: Exactly right. I was already I was organizing things, directing traffic, attempting to tell people what to do, hoping they wouldn’t realize that they were bigger and stronger than me. So yes.
Nicole: That’s fantastic. All right. Well, one of the things I’m doing is I’m collecting definitions of leadership. I think leadership, people get confused about it, there’s so many pieces parts and theories. So what is your definition of leadership?
Clint: Leadership is influencing people to become the best that they can be. Unlocking their potential.
Nicole: Yeah, I couldn’t agree more. And you know, the thing is, is that you know, a lot of people don’t realize how much more they could do not because we want to like make them do more but because dude, I see what you could do that could like you know, change your life and all the lives of the people around you. So potentially, we gotta get it unlocked. So let’s let’s start in by talking about the book Power Coaching, Stand Out, Get Unstuck and Energize your Leadership. So I want to talk about chapter one. You said blending in is overrated. What do you mean by that?
Clint: Well, I think there’s a natural instinct in us to really to you know, as you kind of that first illustration in the book to kind of stay with the crowd. We really get uncomfortable. And I just kind of noticed that first in my basketball journey, but then we also see it you know, in our business journey. Anytime that somebody wants to excel or do better or try something different, I think people around them get uncomfortable. I think a lot of times, as you were mentioning, people have this potential, but there’s this blockage.
And they’re uncomfortable with excelling or being the best versions of themselves. And it’s really, you know, as I’ve gone through my journey, something that I’ve really wanted to help people unlock and get past and understand, because there really is so much more that we as leaders can do as individuals and organizations and just staying with the crowd sometimes that comfortability just hinders our growth.
Nicole: That’s right. That’s right. And, and, you know, Clint, my big thing is build a vibrant culture, right? And so people are like, what does that mean, Nicole? And really what it means is like, you’ve got all these people seeking their highest potential, like they’re on fire, they are lit up, they are making new things, different things happen, and that’s what leaders need to stay innovative and on the cutting edge. Now, I know that when you went through your coaching program, I’m gonna read your tea leaves, you tell me if I’m wrong, you learned this technique called asking powerful questions.
Clint: Yes. It was, and I’ll even go back if you allow me to, to where I learned that even before in my journey. So I was working at an organization here in the city. And they had somebody had given us or provided executive coaching. You know, talk about limiting beliefs. A lot of people on our staff didn’t want to take it. I was younger, in my journey. And I said, You know what I need to grow, I want to learn, I have, know nothing about this. And it was interesting, because Nicole, at first, there was some blockages that I had. So I had been in this position for about five years, I had my master’s degree.
And so things that were bouncing in my head were things like this. What does this guy know about my industry? He’s not in it. I’ve already experienced in this arena. I’ve already got my master’s degree. I’ve played professional basketball, I have great habits. I know how to work hard. What is this guy possibly going to show me? Short, short story, it was revolutionary for me in. Yeah, saying amen and stuff. And drew those questions, the powerful questions that he asked me that, now, looking back seem so simple. They were powerful and transformative. And I said, oh, my gosh, I have to learn more about this.
Nicole: That’s exactly right. That’s exactly right. And you have on page five, two really important, powerful questions. And so I want everybody to write these down. Of course, you want to get Clint’s book Power Coaching. But in here, he says, know that your achievement pivots on the, notice the basketball language, pivots on these two questions. And the first one is, how can I improve? I mean, what if everybody in the company today woke up and said, what could I do better today? You know, that would radically change how your company operates. And the second question, this is probably even more important, how can I help the people around me improve? Yeah, so I love those two questions so much.
Clint: Yeah, I think right there, there are two, you know, many levels to our leadership journey. Right. And a lot of times, top on the list is we want to perform for ourselves in our organization, right. But then we know, Nicole, we’ve been around great leaders, and you’re leading as well, is when you’re concerned with others’ growth, right? When you want them to excel. When you have the security in yourselves and that higher level where you want them to achieve all that they can be and do, is really when you start seeing individuals excel, which in turn causes your organization to excel.
And, right, weaving into you know, you talk about that healthy culture. When people are excited, that other people are excited for them, man, you you’ve walked into those types of organizations, where you can sense it in the culture. Where you’re like, man, people are buzzing, they’re excited, right. They know that their best interests is at heart, they’re growing. And it just feeds throughout the whole organization.
Nicole: And that’s exactly right. Okay, so I hope you wrote down those two questions hanging up on your on your bathroom mirror. Alright, so the second chapter, you say, you know, there’s real power in being a good coach. Be first in and last out in your own life. And so you talk about what makes somebody a good coach. So don’t miss this, everybody. What he’s saying is you bring this same idea of coaching your players on your basketball team to coaching your players on your team-team at work. And you know, the thing about it is when, I didn’t play basketball, I’m only five foot tall.
I would have never made it. But I played soccer and I was on the swim team and did all the all those kinds of things. And you know, you came in to practice fully anticipating that your coach is going to make your work hard. But sometimes leaders have this resistance to well, I don’t want to push them too hard. I don’t want to ask too much. But we wanted our coaches to turn us into something great. So tell me a little bit about what makes somebody a good coach. How can we like go ahead and coach everybody?
Clint: Yeah, I think right, as you mentioned, swimming. By the way, I just have to do a plug for swimming. It’s interesting. A lot of the most successful people, it seems, this is anecdotal, were swimmers. And I think a lot of the times because they just know how to, right. There’s no, there’s a lot of times not a team around, you just got to get in the pool. And you have to handle business by yourself. Get your laps in. And that translates often into the real world. Anyway, sorry. Side note.
Nicole: No, no, I like that. Let me add to it. And you know what? When I was swimming, my body just did its thing, right? Like you’re just going and going and going. But you are in this wonderful, quiet bubble. And I you’ve heard this Clint, you probably studied it. Is reflection and quiet is one of the best things leaders can do for themselves, is to like sit and think a minute. And, and so I was swimming, but I mean, I was just letting my body take over. But I was thinking about stuff. So put some laps in people. Okay, keep going. What makes people a good coach?
Clint: Yeah, so to your point, right, we can those that, you know, played athletics or had that type of background, probably at the time when those coaches, I’ll use that term, word nudge, right? Were nudging you and I’m going back now to the old school way of coaching athletics was not a lot of nudging was more yelling and other things. But when you look back at that gentle nudging to improve, right at the time, maybe a little discomfort, maybe not fun, those muscles were getting stretched. Your lungs were getting, you know, stretched. And but when you look back at it, right, that’s where the growth happens, right?
The coach sees ahead, they’re looking ahead, and they know what it takes to get to that goal that next level. And so good coaches know how to have crucial conversations. How to paint that vision of the desired future that they have for their athletes. If you’re a leader in organization, what that desired future looks like in your organization. And they are not afraid to have some conversations of hey, I see a blind spot here. Hey, I see a place where you could be nudged here, and hey, allow me to push on you to be the best version of yourselves.
Nicole: Yeah, okay. So three things he just said, don’t miss this. One, the coach can help you see the vision, they can have a crucial conversation with you and they can help you see a blind spot. And trust us you got one. Okay, because Clint has one and so do I. And we know it, and we keep going to our coaches.
Clint: My wife will say that I have several. She’s able to provide a lot of tips.
Nicole: That’s fantastic. Yeah, that’s great. Okay, and so you need a coach to help you do those things. All right. So I want you to think about chapter three, where you wrote about a different type of coach. So is that more of the same of what we were just talking about, you know, where you’ve got this coach that yells and screams, or this different kind of coach that nudges. Talk about the different kinds of coach a little bit?
Clint: Yeah, and you know, in the book, I use an illustration, I had one coach, he was old school. Had come from Eastern European kind of communist training, and was just very concerned with really output. Just it was all about output. And, you know, all about wins. And we know as leaders that we have to, we do need to get results, right? Let’s not, we don’t live in a fantasy land and think we don’t have to have results for our organization and as individuals that we have to have that.
But in that, there was this lack of connection, there was this lack of empathy. There was this lack of desire for the individuals to excel and to be fulfilled in what they were doing. And so in the short run that type of leadership, right when we’re just constantly pushing on people when there’s no concern for their individual growth, for their individual careers, in the short term, it can be effective, right?
The research shows that it can for a certain amount of time. But if you’re not building a healthy culture with your team, if people don’t feel like their best interests are at heart, they are eventually, you’re going to see a decrease in productivity, engagement and motivation. And so we saw that with this, right. We there was a little bump in productivity and wins. And then over the course of time that decreased. Unfortunately, this coach was let go after a time. Conversely, you know, a year later, I had a different type of coach.
And this guy was concerned with our well-being, he was concerned with our longevity, he knew about our families, he knew our goals and what we wanted to do, he knew our strong points, he knew our blind spots. And he came alongside of us in this journey together, and helped forge a culture where we knew that we were our best interests were a heart, which allowed us to care for our team, develop that vibrant culture, and which ultimately, helped the team excel and was just something that really drove engagement.
Nicole: I love what you’re saying. So, so funny. Last weekend, the husband and I was down in Daniel Island, South Carolina, which is a very beautiful place. If you’ve never been there, I highly recommend you make a trip over to Charleston, Daniel Island, South Carolina. But we were in the hotel room, we’re getting ready to go have dinner or something. And there was something on the ESPN or whatever it was about Jimmy V. Who was the head coach at NC State, and he died of cancer, but they were talking about what a great coach he was.
And then the last time he ever spoke in front of a crowd in the auditorium at NC State, you know, they had to help the guy walk out there, because he’s got this horrible cancer. And his, I think it was his 1983, 1984, one of those years, ball team that, you know, won that thing in the last second and all these guys. And the guy gives this beautiful speech. And he’s like, it’s just, you know, it’s about love. It’s about loving people, you know, and he was this big personality.
And that’s what I’m hearing you say the difference in a coach is. It’s not just like, give me a result. But like, I’m gonna love you so dang much, you’re going to give me a result. I’m going to love on you like your mama would. I’m gonna correct you when you need corrected, and I’m gonna celebrate you when you’re doing great. So I love what you’re saying. So, go watch the Jimmy V, whatever that was. Probably on the YouTube. All right, I love it. All right, chapter four. Okay, so this is huge. I love chapter four, because he talks about a different way of thinking.
And that’s what coaching does, it changes the way you think. It like, is enlightening. I mean, that’s what happened to Clint, he got he didn’t know if he needed this person. And then he’s like, oh, my God, I want to be this person. So notice that. And you have as like kind of the subtitle of the chapter, embrace an abundance mentality. So talk about a little bit about the game and how coaching helps people think.
Clint: Yeah, maybe some of the listeners are familiar with that kind of abundance mentality versus a scarcity mentality. But we’ve, you know, maybe you’ve experienced in some of your leaders in the past, the scarcity mentality, let me lead with that. kind is the idea that there’s only so much praise to go around. There’s only so much money, there’s only so much raises to go around, that type of thing. And within that operation, they are really kind of self-focused, they don’t see the big picture. Whereas an abundance mentality is the idea that you know what, that we can all flourish.
That you and your giftings, you with your talents and your resources, and you excelling doesn’t necessarily mean that I can’t excel, as well. And so when leaders are able to operate from that abundance mentality and really push their people to excel, push them up and allow them to be the best versions of themselves and train them and come alongside of them is really when you see growth. You see an increase in productivity. And you see that healthy culture in your organization, which is going to be winsome. And you’re going to attract the top talent.
Nicole: And that’s what you need on your team. You need people who are top talent to get these crazy things done in this world. Now, you’ve also got in your book on page 41. When we talk about a different style of coaching, you have again another great subtitle. You become what you believe. I would like you to talk about that for a hot second. Well, let’s do that first. And here’s the thing, your thoughts do create your reality. So when you put that in there, you become what you believe. Talk a little bit about that. Why is that true?
Clint: Yeah, Nicole, you probably see this in your coaching business as well. A lot of time, the people that we are working with, we have the things that they we process or believe, eventually manifest in their reality. And if you can, kind of use the metaphor of a tree, right, as a belief system. And as you feed this tree, right, you want branches that are producing growth. You want branches that are producing, you know, the ability to take risks.
And when we begin to take on beliefs that are of an abundance mentality, and I can do this, and good things are coming to me, and I’m a hard worker, we begin to see these branches flourish. And simultaneously, all of us have other branches, other beliefs that are not as healthy, right? They might be things like, I’m not that talented, or I don’t have the right education, or I didn’t go to the right school, or oh my gosh, I’m not the best public speaker. And these branches kind of hinder this growth of, if you will, our tree, that could be this beautiful, blossoming fruit-bearing tree.
And so we need to constantly feed those branches with these healthy beliefs, right. And a lot of times, you have to change those neural pathways. You go, you talk about going back to, you know, childhood and other past things that have begun to, you know, formulate these neural pathways, and they can be there in a positive vein or a negative vein. And so it’s important, it’s crucial, you need to feed it daily, with positive affirmations, with reading, to make sure that your tree is flourishing and growing.
Nicole: Yeah, yeah, that’s absolutely right. And let me give you what Clint defines as power coaching, because don’t forget, his book is called Power Coaching. Dr. Clint Ladine is our guest. And he says on page 41, what is power coaching mentality? And so don’t miss that. The mentality is how you think about things, right? So power coaching is the leadership methodology that evokes awareness, unlocks individual and organizational potential, and helps maximize performance. So it’s really, you know, I think the most important thing there is the word awareness.
Clint: Mm-hmm. Yeah, oftentimes, we are not even aware of the blockages that we have. And we have just simply taken on a certain leadership style that we’ve learned that we’ve grown with. And we don’t even understand that we have some limiting beliefs. As I said, some blockages, and we need a coach to come alongside of us and to help us become more aware. And I’ll use an example back to when I was first coached. Now, it’s Nicole, I’m telling you, it seems so simple at the time, I don’t know how I didn’t know this.
But I was just trying to, one thing, develop, I was trying to develop more revenue. So my coach would say, hold me accountable. He’d say, hey, how did you do on your goals this week, towards increasing revenue? You’re supposed to do these three things. And I, like most leaders, I had a million things that I was doing, and I, you know, and they, you know, we’re all good things. And I said, hey, I’m paraphrasing, but, you know, I was kind of saying, hey, I’m so valuable that they need me here.
And they’re in there, and I’m doing all these things. And he would tell me, well, why don’t you just tell them that you’d have to be in your office for an hour and that you’re working on revenue? And for me, that seems so simple, right? Like, lock your door and just work on it, and don’t let anybody come in. But for me, that was a revolution. I was like, I can do that? I can just not be needed, right?
Because when you go back to it, all the other things that were in there, my sense as a leader that I need to be needed, and that I need to fix things and that I’m the savior of the organization and I have to be there was stifling my team’s growth. Individuals growth, and not helping me to focus on the main thing, increasing revenue. And so you need somebody to help you evoke that where awareness. Without him, I would probably still be doing the same thing 20 years later.
Nicole: That’s right. That’s right. And, you know, one of the things when leaders do kind of, you know, take care of themselves and put themselves in the corner for a second and hang a note on the door and say, you know, I’m working on my goals right now. First of all, don’t miss this, people come by and they peek in and they go, oh, he’s working on his goals. That plants a seed. Maybe I should be working on my goals, right.
And then the second part is, is that when you do that, people stop being really it’s like a codependency, like, they stop needing you. And they become this thing, that one of my dear friends, Mary Foley says, she says you need your people to be figureouters. It’s not in the dictionary. But it is a total thing, figureouters. And so they leave and they’ve got to make the choice, a decision, you know, a pathway. And you know, by golly, guess what they can do? They can figure these things out. It’s just absolutely amazing.
Clint: Right. And then that. That’s the exciting part of leadership, right? And a big part of power coaching. Because, to me, that’s the exciting part is when you get to see people grow, and do things that they never thought they could do as well. And so it was just so much fun. Now, watching people, things that I would normally do, fires that I would normally take care of, allowing them to do it. And then them going, I never thought I could do this. Wow, I learned a new skill set. All because I stepped aside and like you said, were concentrating on the goals to grow the organization.
Nicole: Yeah. See, that was when you were getting in the pool, and being quiet and doing your laps. All right. Very good. So I want to talk a little bit more. Now in chapter six, you do a very good thing for people in chapter six. It is so right out of my textbook from when I got my coaching training, but I don’t think people really understand still, you know, coaching. Thomas Leonard kind of coined the phrase and got the whole thing going in the International Coaching Federation, all these good things. But you know, just like any really good idea, you know, we have the people who jump right in, we have those middle adopters.
And then we have the late adopters. So there’s still people out there, they’re like, you have a coach, what’s that mean? So on chapter, see, let me see what chapter I’m in, hold on, six. On page 50, and 51, I absolutely love that you break down the difference between coaching, mentoring, consulting, and counseling. And I do think that helps people understand coaching a little bit more. Will you share with us kind of the nuances of those, and I’ll chime in as well. I’d love to know what you think mentoring is, let’s start there.
Clint: Mentoring is typically more of an informal setting. It’s somebody that has a mentor typically has more experience in an area, it’s, they’re typically in the industry as well. And they’ll come along in an informal setting and provide guidance and be able to answer any questions that they have for the mentee. They are still viewed as an expert, if you will, and then that kind of bleeds into consulting. I know, you do some consulting as well. And that’s where the person is the expert.
And they come in and they say, hey, I’m going to help you with much like yourself, I’m going to help you with strategy, I’m going to help you with this different area, whether it’s IT and they are coming in, and they are the expert, and they are going to cascade down what you could do. I had an example of that, where I was helping I had somebody that was coming alongside me in this book journey. And right as she was helping me with the book, she was, you know, beginning to kind of coach me and ask me questions about it.
And I said, I would tell her, I was like, hey, I don’t want you to coach me. You’re the book expert. I want consulting right now and tell me what to do. Because I don’t know. And so there’s a time for where you need that consultant as the expert, as well. And whereas a coach is coming alongside you, they don’t necessarily need to be an expert in the industry. But as we’ve talked previously, they’re helping evoke awareness. They’re helping uncover limiting beliefs, they’re helping nudge and to reframe issues, and they’re helping you to develop goals that will, and habits, that will lead to the accomplishment of those goals.
Nicole: That’s right, that’s right. And then the final one is counseling. And, you know, people like Clint and I have to be so careful. Like we don’t cross the line. We don’t have the 10,000 hours of clinical training that gives you a lot more letters after your name. And so, you know, if you have any kind of depression or anything like that or concerns about how things have happened in the past and you need to deal with that. You got to find yourself a licensed counselor or therapist to work with. So we, I typically work in the future, and in the present.
Clint: Exactly right. And coaching is about that. You hit it right on the head, it’s about the future. It’s about the present. It’s, and it’s concentrating a lot on the positive side of psychology, and to where your point, people that are in need of some more deep-rooted issues really do need a licensed clinical psychologist.
Clint: Yeah. And so he just dropped in a little phrase, I don’t want you to miss it. He said, positive psychology. So FYI, I just found it. It was, it’s been out on the YouTube for a long time. But I just found, I don’t know if you’ve ever watched it, Clint. But it is the free online class of the number one class that was offered at Harvard on positive psychology. The whole series is on the YouTube.
And yeah, so just go Google Harvard positive psychology class, and you can you can take a class on positive psychology. And the other thing is, it’s up here on my bookshelf, let me say it, positive psychology in a nutshell. And it’s by Ms. Boniwell. And I want to tell you, that’s my favorite little positive psychology book. I recommend it to everybody. So there’s a little couple resources for you. All right, fantastic. Yeah.
So we keep it positive in coaching, which is why I’m in it. All right, chapter seven. And we just talked about the fact that coaches work in the present to improve the future. But you have a whole chapter on dreams, right? Chasing the dream. So you know, some people I mean, they just, they don’t feel like they should be chasing a dream. Don’t think so much of yourself. You know, there’s this thing about no, no, get a dream. So talk about chasing the dream, Clint.
Clint: Yeah. And then let me lead as you mentioned that right, a lot of people struggle with that. A recent statistic that I came across is that less than 10% of the population even has a goal, a personal goal. It you know, right. I was shocked. Nobody believed me. I had to go back double, triple check. I was like, that’s impossible. Yeah, less than 10%. You know, they might have a goal for their kids or something along that, but a personal goal. And it’s, it’s amazing. I started asking, right, some siblings and stuff.
And I was like, do you have a goal? Like, not your kids. And a lot of people don’t have that. And yeah, you know, I love the I tell the, I had an impactful story, you know, you talk about dreams, that happened to me when I was a sophomore in high school. I was going to my guidance counselor, and I remember going in there, and I knew from a young age at five years old that I wanted to play basketball. I grew up in a basketball family, my dad was very talented. And so I told the guy, I go, you know what, I’m just going to do something different. I’m going to tell him my real dream, right?
Because he was probably expecting me to say, oh, you know what, I want to become a marketing or do this. And I said, hey, I want to be a professional basketball player. And I go, I had a realistic outlook. I go, might not be in the NBA. I’m going to shoot for that. But that’s something I want to do, perhaps in Europe. And he did something, you know, you talk about goals or dreams. And he began with these, began putting these what I would perceive as limiting beliefs on me. Hey, you know what, you’re, we’re in a small town, that’s going to be really difficult. You’re not that tall.
Right. Not many people are able to do that. That’s such a tiny percent of the population that are accomplished that. Why don’t we, you know, think about this. And Nicole, I’m telling you, you know, you talk about a 15-year-old that had a dream. And I always tell people this. I go, and it’s great for leaders, because I want leaders just to have this in their mind when they talk to their followers. Why didn’t the conversation go something like this?
Wow, Clint, that is an amazing dream. What can we do as a school, what can I do as a counselor to come alongside and cultivate that dream? What type of special training do we need to get you? What type of diet do we need to get you on? How can we foster this? How can we help you grow and excel? And you know, it’s amazing is that we don’t see that in life too much. Right? If you think about it, Nicole, how many times?
Nicole: I think about it every day.
Clint: Right? And that’s right, and we’re going to talk about this. That’s if you were lucky you had a mom or a dad that maybe, maybe encouraged your dreams. Okay. If you think about that, it’s kind of depressing that nobody ever has anybody say, yes, let’s go for it. Let’s try it. Let’s do it. And that’s a reason and probably a good reason why you got into coaching one of them, and why people need a coach is because you need somebody in your corner that’s excited for you. That is cheering for you, that is saying yes, it’s going to be difficult?
Yes, you’re going to need persistence. Yes, there’s going to be hard points. Yes, you’re going to want to give up. But you know what, we’re going to find a path and we’re going to help you get to that path. And so I think it’s important. And you talked about it in your in your TED talk, right? Finding that deep down in that furnace, that, that drive that, that’s in your belly that you got to do, and cultivating that and fanning it into flame, and living your life to the fullest. And I love how you said it, right. Aligning it with your integrity. Who you are, and then making it happen.
Nicole: So good. You should rewind right there. Well, we don’t rewind, we move the little thing backwards, whatever that’s called. So you should listen to everything Clint just said one more time, or perhaps every morning. Okay. Yeah. So listen to that every morning. That’s fantastic. I couldn’t agree more. And I know so many people. And, you know, I’m so glad I got to coaching before I got done parenting. I was very lucky. I got coaching when my children, one of them was like, in middle school, and one was in high school.
And I was like, oh, you know, I mean it reading Clint’s book. And don’t miss this everybody is Power Coaching. It’s just not for colleagues and yourself. It’s for your children, it’s for your nephews, because people do need this person who will sit there and help them keep the dream alive and stoke the fire to get it going. So stinking good.
Okay, I want to make sure I get to chapter eight, if that’s as far as we get, because I’m gonna tell you all this is a great little book. One more time. Power Coaching. Chapter eight, now, if you ask a lot of questions, you better be ready to listen. And I find that one of the greatest missing communication skills on the planet is listening. So your subtitle here is so great, open your ears and close your mouth. Very good advice. All right. So tell me about discovering the power of listening.
Clint: Right. Once again, back to when I first had a coach, it was amazing that somebody would sit and listen. And here’s what I loved as well, Nicole, and not judge me. I really had a fear that they were going to judge my leadership that they were going to say, why is this guy even, why is Clint a leader? He’s terrible. I had these fears. And for somebody to come alongside, listen to me, understand how I’m wired, right. I know you’re big on assessments.
Understand how I am wired, how I operate, and then to come alongside and then help me develop my own goals, not their goals, maybe challenge me on some of them. Like, hey, let me push you a little bit. And maybe you could do a little bit more, was amazing and transformative. And then it got me thinking, as we know, is, very rarely do you come across that in your life, somebody that will just listen. And I challenge people to do this.
When you go to your next party, when you go to your next event, your networking event, whatever. Try to just ask questions, and listen and get to know the person, they will be amazed. And this probably happens to you all the time Nicole. They’ll probably go, that’s a great question. Nobody’s ever asked me that. That is amazing. And so when you do that, you pull, I’ll bring it back to business. You pull people in, you engage them, you understand them, they feel heard, and their motivation is increased.
We don’t do it just to increase motivation, though. We do it for connection, as well. And it is a powerful tool that I challenge people with. And I just in that vein, I just got to tell quick story. I was at the gym recently. And this guy came up and he’d read my book. So we’re talking about it. And we’re, you know, we’re talking and I’m all I’m probably like you I’m kind of always in coach mode wherever I’m at.
So I’m talking to him. And he’s like, oh, and I really liked the chapter on listening. And we’re talking, talking for about 20 minutes. We separate, we’re going and we’re lifting, he comes back to me in five minutes. He goes, oh my god, I have to go read that chapter again. I was just talking the whole time for 20 minutes. So, it is, it can be a fun challenge to do is just listen.
Nicole: Oh my god. So earlier this week, I was on a phone call. And this gentleman just talked and talked and talked, and he was supposed to be calling me to find out how the training went. And so he just talked and talked and talked. And then the gal that was, you know, actually with me when the training happened inside the organization, she sent me this little message afterwards and it said, we’ll never get those 32 minutes back, will we. I mean, and that’s what we’re talking about right here about blind spots. Like this gentleman has a huge blind spot.
It was supposed to debrief me, he was supposed to ask me how it went. And I think I said two sentences. Good morning, and thank you. And those aren’t even sentences. They’re like, greetings. Okay. So it’s huge. And here’s, okay, so I got a resource everybody. You know, I love to give you resources. So here’s my resource on listening. First of all, of course, the chapter in Power Coaching by Dr. Clint Ladine, but then also, I want you to go on the Google and I want you to type in the art of listening by Brenda Ueland. U e l a n d, and just at least read the first three paragraphs. I love it so much.
I can’t stand it. Okay, let’s take a look at the clock. You know what, I got time for only one more question, Clint. You know, I always I always know like, my listeners are going wait, no, we want more from Dr. Clint. But here’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna ask you to like maybe even step away from the book or keep going with the book, whatever feels right in this moment.
What’s one more little magical nugget that you might put in people’s toolboxes? You know, as they’re listening to this whole conversation about I need to become a power coach, I need to make myself better and improve my team. What one more nugget would you add so that they could put it in their pocket and go do something amazing today?
Clint: I would say, to always have that growth mindset at the forefront of your leadership journey. And for you, as an individual, and for your team, always be pushing to help them become the best version of themselves, and always be pushing for you to continue to be the best version of yourself. Taking appropriate risks, attempting things that are difficult, and being persistent along the way.
Nicole: Yeah, absolutely. I couldn’t agree more. And so for those of you who may have never heard of that phrase, you know that that is a 28-year research concept by Dr. Carol Dweck, a growth mindset. So one more resource. Go over to the YouTube not only watch the positive psychology deal, but now I want you to put Carol Dweck in there and I want you to watch a video of her talking about the growth mindset. Everything that Clint just gave you, so stinking good. All right.
So if you listen to this all the way through, you got lots of things you need to get going. You got to get opportunities to sit down with your people, ask them powerful questions, listen intently, and help yourself improve and those around you improve. I am so grateful that you have been on the Build a Vibrant Culture podcast, Clint. Thank you so much.
Clint: Nicole, thank you. It’s great. Loved our conversation. Pleasure being with you.
Nicole: Yeah, fantastic. I loved it, too. Hey, if you love this episode of the Build a Vibrant Culture podcast, will you please go over there and subscribe and like and leave a nice comment for Dr. Clint, he would like that, and I would adore it. Thank you so much, everybody. We hope you have a vibrant day.
Voiceover: Ready to build your vibrant culture? Bring Nicole Greer to speak to your leadership team, conference or organization to help them with her strategies, systems and smarts to increase clarity, accountability, energy and results. Your organization will get lit from within. Email Nicole@nicolegreer.com. And be sure to check out Nicole’s TEDx talk at nicolegreer.com.
