Unpacked with Ron Harvey
People Always Matter. Join Ron as he unpacks leadership with his guests.
Unpacked with Ron Harvey
Leadership Lessons for Building Trust and Connection
Leadership isn't just reserved for corporate boardrooms—it's a skill that can transform any environment, as demonstrated by our guest, Dr. Matthew Arau. From conducting high school bands to becoming a global authority on leadership, Dr. Arau shares his inspiring journey and the leadership principles that reshaped a toxic band culture into a thriving community. Drawing wisdom from Stephen Covey, John Maxwell, and John Wooden, he reveals how these timeless teachings empowered not only his students but educators and corporate leaders around the world. His insights are encapsulated in his book, "Upbeat: Mindset, Mindfulness, and Leadership," a must-read for anyone looking to uplift their organizational culture.
Explore the four C's of upbeat leadership—character, competence, connection, and confidence—as Dr. Arau challenges the notion that leadership traits are innate. We discuss how character, a fundamental component of leadership, can be cultivated through consistent practice and care. The dialogue navigates a four-step process to build confidence, emphasizing courage, choice, consistency, and competence as cornerstones for continual growth. This episode is a treasure trove for leaders eager to develop these crucial skills, highlighting the power of consistency in driving personal and professional growth.
Trust, a vital element in modern leadership, takes center stage as Dr. Arau unpacks how building trust within an organization transcends traditional top-down approaches. Through stories and insights from books like "Good to Great" and "Extreme Ownership," we explore the transformative impact of trust on team dynamics and organizational health. Delve into the challenges of managing ego and maintaining presence, with practical strategies for leaders to empower their teams while remaining grounded. Join us as we unpack these leadership keys and discover how mindfulness and self-awareness can elevate trust and unlock potential within teams.
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Just Make A Difference: Leading Under Pressure by Ron Harvey
“If you don’t have something to measure your growth, you won’t be self-aware or intentional about your growth.”
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The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. The information provided in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Listeners should consult with their own professional advisors before implementing any suggestions or recommendations made in this podcast. The speakers and guests are not responsible for any actions taken by listeners based on the information presented in this podcast. The podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or services. The speakers and guests make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this ...
Welcome to Unpacked Podcast with your host leadership consultant, Ron Harvey of Global Core Strategies and Consulting. Ron's delighted to have you join us as he unpacks and shares his leadership experience, designed to help you in your leadership journey. Ron believes that leadership is the fundamental driver towards making a difference. So now to find out more of what it means to unpack leadership, here's your host, Ron Harvey.
Speaker 2:Good morning. This is Ron Harvey, vice President and Chief Operating Officer for GlobalCore Strategies and Consulting. We're a leadership development firm based out of Columbia, south Carolina, and we've been in business since really 2013, just over 10 years and our business is really about helping leaders develop their skill sets to take care of the people that they're responsible for and responsible to All leadership. We love doing what we do. We believe in adding value and making a difference, and throughout our organization, throughout our community where we live, work, play and go to school, we care about the work we do and we care about everybody that we're in partnership with. But today is really about the podcast that we release.
Speaker 2:I'm super excited all the time because we get people from around the world that join this podcast to share some of the behind the scenes information about how do we do what we do, why do we do what we do, where do we do what we do. So we're going to pull the curtain back and let you know some stuff that you probably won't see in everyday conversations when we're on stages. So I'm really, really excited that our guests always say yes and there is no question scripted. This is not something that we set up and they don't know what I'm going to ask. Neither do I, to be honest. We just do unpack real-time conversation fireside chat, if you will. That we turned into a podcast, so I'm happy to have Matthew with us and I'm going to pause and hand Matthew the microphone so he can tell you who he is, where he's at and whatever he wants to share. And I do that with every guest. Let them introduce themselves and what they want you to know, and then I'll unpack more throughout.
Speaker 3:Matthew, welcome. Thank you so much, ron. It is a real privilege to get to spend some time with you today and with your listeners. My name is Dr Matthew Rau and I live in Wisconsin and I wear many hats. I'm actually a professor of music and music education and conduct the band at Lawrence University in Appleton, wisconsin.
Speaker 3:I was a band director in Colorado, taught middle school band and then high school band for 15 years, grew up in California and in 2018, I started my own company, upbeat Global, and Upbeat Global focuses on leadership and inspiring positivity through leadership and music around the world actually got into teaching leadership when I was a high school band director believe it or not, back in 2006, and I had no idea that starting what we called the leadership symposium was going to lead to what it's led to today. But back in 2006, I took over this band program. That was successful, but the culture was toxic and I think many of us can connect with that that sometimes, even if the numbers are reading well, that doesn't mean the culture is good, and if the culture is toxic, that can lead to lots of problems. So we actually decided to start meeting once a week after school and training on leadership with my high school band students and it led to incredible culture shift. It was all about student empowerment. We dug deep into leadership philosophies of Stephen Covey Seven Habits, john Maxwell's 21-Year Feudal Laws of Leadership and John Wooden's Pyramid of Success, and imagine my high school band students getting together after school and they were so fascinated with leadership because they actually saw how it improved their own personal lives.
Speaker 3:And then it led to lifting every aspect of the culture of the band and I taught there for seven years and after that I started getting invited to teach other band programs to lift their culture up and we started working on mission and vision for different bands around the state of Colorado. And then I started presenting. I started speaking about what we had done and I spoke to the Colorado State Music Education Conference. And then I was invited to speak at the International Conference in Chicago called the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in December 2014. And when I spoke about what we had created with this leadership focus, it led to being invited to speak and train all over the United States and eventually, the world, and today I've had the honor to speak and train in 38 states and four continents, which is really a blessing really a blessing and I want to share that.
Speaker 3:What started as training my high school band students out of sheer survival it was all about the survival has led to the opportunity to train not only music educators but educators in all fields.
Speaker 3:So I get to speak to school districts and teachers everywhere. I speak at many state conferences and national conferences, but in the past five years it's blossomed into being invited to speak to companies and train companies and businesses and entrepreneurs and corporations, and what I've discovered is that the message of Upbeat Global is universal. It is universal and, as you know, ron, leadership lessons apply across the board and I'll be happy eventually to share a little bit more about what is upbeat leadership specifically. But the exciting thing is that during the pandemic, I was called to serve and I had this calling like I had to do this, and I wrote my book Congratulations, yes, yes, upbeat mindset, mindfulness and leadership and really combine it all. And there's also a deep dive into culture. But I'll pause here for a moment because I know I shared quite a bit to open this up, but I know there's a lot more to unpack, my friend.
Speaker 2:Yes, thanks a lot, dr Matthew. Where can people find the book? Is it on Amazon? What's the fastest way to get the book?
Speaker 3:Absolutely Amazon. What's the fastest way to get the book? Absolutely, yeah, the fastest way is to go to Amazon. It's in paperback and Kindle, and so it's easy to find. Just upbeat exclamation point, and then brow A-R-A-U boom, get it there, it's available. It's also available at my website, which is upbeatglobalcom, yes, and so you're welcome to get it through the website as well. And what's nice about going to the website is you can also subscribe, and that's a way we can get connected as well.
Speaker 2:Yes, thank you. Thank you For those that are listening and watching. Awesome, always find something to read to assist you. And you talk about the people that you follow. You know John Maxwell, stephen Covey when you introduce your students to that. So, when you think about leadership, how important is it for leaders to always continue to find someone that helps them grow? Because once you get into speaking and you're traveling, how important is it for leaders, regardless of what that? You are a constant learner. You're continuing to learn from other people that are ahead of you or around you, or not even, and some people that not even have the titles that you have that may be working for you that you can learn from. How important is continuous learning to the leader?
Speaker 3:It's 100% important. I try to live what I preach. You know, walk the talk, and I always share that. Leaders are learners Also. Leaders are readers, and I'm an obsessive reader and so I'm always surrounded by books. I'm reading a series of Patrick Lencioni's books right now myself, and just continually growing. What's exciting about having the opportunities to train folks of all ages and different backgrounds is that I also learn a lot when I'm speaking and working with and collaborating with people. I often share that in an audience because when I speak it's very collaborative back and forth and lots of sharing out, and I always say, hey, the answers are in the room, the answers are amongst among us and it's not always going to come from me. Many of the great creative ideas are going to come from within and what I do oftentimes is facilitate that creativity and help people maximize and discover their full potential. I don't think there's ever been a moment where I've done a training or a coaching or speaking where I haven't come away learning something myself, and that's very exciting about the field I'm in.
Speaker 2:So, matthew, I'll put it on the other side. So are you saying that leaders don't have to have all the answers, or are you saying leaders don't have all the answers? Which one is it? They don't have to and they don't have to? Saying leaders don't have all the answers? Which one is it they don't have to and they don't have to? And they don't have them? Because oftentimes, when you get promoted and you get to the top, you're the doctor, you show up. There's an expectation that we hired you, we promoted you, we kind of expect you to have the answers. But you just said something different. The learning of the answers are in the room, it's not just on the stage.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm really glad that you noticed that and you brought that up, because I think that's really really important. And I'm a doctor, right? That doesn't mean that I know everything. In fact, if you think about it, I actually really admire it when I go to my doctor and they actually say you know what? I don't know, but I'm going to look into that. I'm going to look into that, and I appreciate that, because no one person knows everything and, plus, you know, knowledge is growing all the time, and so much of what we learn and grow from is the banter back and forth, the synergy that's created when people are given the opportunity to have deep conversations with authentic listening, and so I think it's really important to live it, and I also don't think there's a limit on what you can learn about leadership.
Speaker 3:By the way, I'm in the music field and the leadership field, and I think I'm drawn to both of them because there's no ceiling on achievement in either of those. In music, I always share with musicians that we never master music. You don't master music. There's always room to grow, and wait is to be more expressive and be more creative, which is amazing. And with leadership, there's no cap unless you put the cap on yourself and you stop growing. But we can always continue to grow and learn, because we're dealing with human beings, and human beings, while we want them to be predictable, are not, so we need to always be open to growth, my friend.
Speaker 2:I love that you tie it to music. As a conductor up front, there are so many instruments to make that sound become beautiful music. And when you think of leadership, how do you get all those people in your organization to play as one instrument, one band, one orchestra, one unit with many, many different instruments that makes the music sound like it sounds? So you think of leadership. How do you leverage everybody on your team?
Speaker 3:Yeah, there's so many parallels between what we do in a music ensemble yes, you think of like a music orchestra and what you do on a team yes, right, and maybe you think of the conductor and the role of the CEO, but the CEO doesn't make all the decisions either. A good CEO doesn't. A good CEO surrounds themselves with people that they trust right, people that have skills, and a great leadership adage is to surround yourself with people that are smarter than you or have skills that complement your skills.
Speaker 3:Right, that might be different skills and likewise, the old paradigm in the conducting world was that the conductor is the maestro and everything comes through the conductor. Every single decision is made by the conductor. But the modern, contemporary paradigm is that music making is collaborative and we need to create space in our ensembles for musicians to offer their own ideas and feedback. So I create a space where there's high trust and I'm vulnerable and that gives permission for the musicians to be vulnerable and open too, so then they are inspired to share their ideas and maybe create at a higher level, because they realize that their voices are valued and need to be heard.
Speaker 2:Okay, dr Matthew, you're causing trouble on the podcast because you've already said that leaders don't know everything and you want to surround yourself, which is true, I totally agree, and there was a time when there was an expectation, and still there's some cultures which I'll come back to. I want to dive a little deep into culture, but you said a word that I want to unpack, because vulnerability Leaders, for conductors, for CEOs, for team leaders, wherever you find yourself in a leadership role there was a time in that journey where it said don't let people see your weaknesses because they won't have confidence in you. That shifted. Can you unpack that for a second? Because you say, hey, the vulnerability of leadership. So there's some vulnerability that comes with leadership. How do you show up without people losing confidence in you? Be vulnerable, but you still got to be good at what you're supposed to know. Where's the balance?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's a great question because, yeah, you have to be highly competent. In fact, I'll share in my book Upbeat, and what I teach in leadership. Actually, I teach what I call the four C's of upbeat leadership. Yes, and I'll go ahead and just share because it's connected to what you just asked about. So the four C's for me are character is the foundation, and for me we got to start with character because without character, to me nothing else matters.
Speaker 3:Yes, there's a quote like without integrity, nothing else matters. Yes, there's a quote like without integrity, nothing else matters. I think the same thing. I say the same thing about character Without character, nothing else matters. And character isn't something that we're born with. In fact, being a leader isn't something that you're born to do either. See, leadership is something that we can learn. We can learn to be a leader and I don't know if I'm shaking up the podcast again, because I know some people have this point of view that, like, you're born to be a leader, and I believe that we can learn to be a great leader and that there's also not just one way to lead, and so we can unpack that a little bit. But character is something that we develop over time. Certainly, characters model to us, but we choose our character on a daily basis and even if we have a day where we quote, screw up right and we say something or feel bad about it, that doesn't define our identity. That's a behavior and action. And the next day we can begin anew and choose differently right. We can choose kindness, we can choose to inspire, choose to encourage and we can choose to apologize Right. And so I always begin with character.
Speaker 3:I'll share something fascinating about the word character because as I wrote my chapter on character, I dove deep into, like, the meaning of the word character. And it's fascinating because character didn't used to mean what it means today when we think about somebody who has a good character. In fact, the first meaning of the word character was, when you sign your name, the character, like the symbol you would make, you know that you might do on a contract. That was your character. And then it wasn't really until through theater and playwriting. Then, in Shakespeare's time, there was a character like the role of the character, and then, even after Shakespeare, eventually we came up with this idea that somebody can demonstrate good character. But I always say, with that history of the word character, that our character leaves a mark. Isn't that interesting. The first definition of character wasn't our mark, but really our character leaves a mark, and the word character has two words in it care actor isn't interesting. Care actor. And so I like to say that.
Speaker 3:What does it mean to live with character? It means to act with care. To act with care not as being an actor and to be false, but to literally your behavior. You're intentional about it. When you're making a decision, you're talking to somebody, you are acting with care, and that's something that we can choose and develop and choose our best character every day.
Speaker 3:The second C is competence. Competence matters. I'll tell you what if you don't have, if you're not competent, people aren't going to follow you. You just can't make mistakes constantly and just keep saying, oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, and be vulnerable about that. You got to have a level of competence. What's neat about competence is we're also not born with a certain level of competence or talent. In fact, talent is a layer of skill upon skill upon skill upon skill upon skill, and skills can be learned and taught. And so it's really important to realize that competence can be grown and you can be very intentional about developing habits and consistency, and by raising our level of competence, we raise our level of confidence, and you can be very intentional about developing habits and consistency, and by raising our level of competence, we raise our level of confidence.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, Absolutely. I tell people all the time on the two, Dr Matthew, that their relatives, if you want to see someone confident, increase their competence Absolutely. So I love that you're going to that space because that's something that people that follow this podcast knows. That I truly believe. If you want to see a confident person increase their competence.
Speaker 3:Let me unpack that a little bit further. I like to actually share that. There's four steps to get more confident, and the reason I bring this up is when I work with organizations and individuals, I always ask them I say would you like to be more confident at one thing? It's something. And of course, everybody raises their hand. I hope if there's ever like one or two that don't raise their hand, I'll be like really Like I hope that I can gain confidence, more confidence, every single day of my life, because I've been getting more confident.
Speaker 3:That means that I'm growing, that means I'm learning and that's how I want to live every single day, until my last breath. And so to me, in order to grow more confident in any area you choose, it begins like this First of all, it takes courage, and the second thing is you got to make a choice. You make a choice and you decide I want to get more confident at this. Okay, so I've made a conscious choice, but that's not enough. Then I have to be consistent, I have to practice and do it consistently. Once is not enough.
Speaker 3:We have to start to reprogram, rewire our brain, to practice consistently. So now we're practicing consistently. As we practice consistently, then our competence elevates. As our competence elevates, then our confidence elevates. Now you're at a higher level. It's like you climbed a mountain. Now you're at this peak, now you see higher peaks. So you choose again what you're going to get after this next time. Practice consistently, your competence goes up and your confidence goes up. And to me, I call it a competence confidence loop that just keeps growing and growing and growing, which is key. I'm excited to hear that you also talk about that my friend yeah, and then.
Speaker 3:So then the third C is connection. The third C is connection of the four Cs of upbeat leadership. And why? Because you could have a wonderful character, admirable character, you could be highly competent, but if you're not able to build relationships and build connections with people, they're not going to want to follow you. And it's like we can just take a walk alone in the park and have all these great ideas and be highly skilled, but to lead we need to connect. And that's where we come back to that vulnerability piece.
Speaker 3:People want to follow leaders not who know everything, but they want to follow leaders who are real. They want to follow somebody who's real, who cares about them, who is aware of their own imperfections but is a human being and is growing and working on themselves daily, and I think that's so important. Also, one thing when we think about leadership, we often envision maybe an extroverted person who talks a lot, but I like to share that some of the greatest leaders have been quiet leaders, yes, and reflective, and sometimes the quiet leaders are better listeners. Sometimes we forget about the power of listening when it comes to communication, but I think that we can build real connections when we are fully present Most of the time when people are listening to somebody else. Would you agree, ron, that we're thinking about what we're going to say next? We're thinking about our own response when somebody's talking to us. You're?
Speaker 2:absolutely right. I love that you're using connection, because it's super important, and you're walking through the four C's. Data shows that when people are in conversations, 40% of the time they're thinking about something else or how to respond, and the phrase I tell people is how do you be where your feet are consistently If your head and heart is there? Your head and heart should be where your feet are. If your feet are there, your head and heart should be there, which requires us to be better listeners and not have the answers, and you alluded to that.
Speaker 2:Oftentimes, though, we will talk and train, you're supposed to have the answer. You're supposed to have the answer as a parent, as a leader of a team, as a director on a sports team or in a band. It's almost as though you walk in and you're the subject matter expert, and we somehow got this thing confused, as subject matter expert meant having all the answers, and I may be the subject matter expert in this one thing, but there's so many moving parts to it that I can't be the expert of everything about this item. Yeah, yes, so it's so important to be okay, to be competent and confident, but don't be the know-it-all. There's a real thin line between being the know-it-all, because if you know it all, that means I know nothing, and that's not a good place, yeah.
Speaker 3:I define leadership as leadership is inspiring and encouraging others to achieve their full potential.
Speaker 2:Yes, I love it and you also use in. There too, though, dr Matthew, you use the word serving that. Hey, as leaders, you're in a position of service, and I think how do you serve looks different. Serving doesn't mean sitting on the sideline waiting. Serving means actively moving, engaging, communicating, connecting and collaborating, and all those things that see constant movement is service. So it doesn't mean doing the thing that you're most comfortable doing. Sometimes serving means doing the thing you're most uncomfortable with.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh, absolutely yeah, we talk a lot about with my company oh my gosh, absolutely yeah. We talk a lot about with my company, epi Global, about moving beyond our comfort zone. Yes, and we need to model that as leaders, because if we're going to expect our team members to also branch and stretch outside their comfort zone, then we need to do it Now. That can be uncomfortable. It is uncomfortable for all of us.
Speaker 3:It's not really I want to get uncomfortable today. It's something that we always like, and that to get uncomfortable today, it's something that we always like, and that's why creating new habits is difficult, because you might do it for one or two days and then you go back. You go back to the comfort zone, but in order to stretch and reprogram our mind and brain and get to that next level, which I think we always want to get to, it requires being uncomfortable and sitting there and being comfortable with discomfort. Now, in an organization, we need to create a space where it's safe to take risks, and many leaders will say, hey, I encourage you to take risks, but then the minute somebody takes a risk and it doesn't work out, if that leader doesn't respond in a way that's encouraging, then, all of a sudden, nobody's going to take risks.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean because they see what it costs and they're not willing to pay that cost. And I tell people, if you really want people to take risks, you got to be where the cost is not catastrophic. If the cost is catastrophic, no one's taking that risk, no matter how many times you say, I want you to be innovative and creative and step out and try something new. If it costs me more than I'm willing to pay, I'm not going to do it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and we need to have places, teams, where it's encouraged to give feedback. That's even critical. Yes, and Patrick Lencioni talks about that that we need to have teams where conflict is okay yes, respectful conflict. If we suppress that healthy debate, then we've actually created a toxic culture. Yes, because there should be a healthy debate. You want to get the best ideas by this healthy debate.
Speaker 3:There's a great book called Creativity Inc and it's about Pixar productions.
Speaker 3:What I understand that Pixar does and one of the reasons they became so successful, is because they get the whole team together and people will share where they're coming along with creating their movie, and people will pick it apart.
Speaker 3:Yes, they will like rip it apart, and if you're new to Pixar, it could be like really wound you, but then you realize wait, this is part of the process of creating excellence and it's not about the person, it's about the product, and we just can't make it personal.
Speaker 3:We all have to be going after the same goal, which actually brings me to what the fourth C of upbeat leadership is. So, just to recap, the four C's of upbeat leadership are character, competence, connection and the final C is clarity. Yes, we have to have a clear vision of where we're headed and you think about it, because you can have great character, be highly competent, be wonderful, building relationships, but if you don't have a clear vision of where you're headed Now I will also say that I believe in creating visions and goals collaboratively. I think it's important that the leader has an idea of where they want to go, but I think it's so important to create a space for input and dialogue. And when you have that dialogue and collaboration, then the buy-in from the team is elevated rather than just a top-down vision.
Speaker 2:Yes, I mean great conversation. I want to pivot a little bit for us unpack something that I'm seeing in the space and the world in general when I was coming up in leadership I'm a retired Army veteran 21 years but even in corporate America, the days of command and control do, as I say, not as I do show up when I say at your desk, like this thing of hovering almost like a helicopter parent, I'm noticing that that's very ineffective today and it stifles growth and innovation. What do you tell a leader that's trying to make that transition from this command and control top-down approach, because you just said, hey, it's bottom-up as well. How do you help a leader get away from this thing of I have all the answers and all decisions, stop with me, versus empowering their team, because every decision can't just start with you?
Speaker 3:Well, I do want to recognize what a challenge that is for somebody who's been steeped in the other way of leadership and I want to honor that and I absolutely respect and I don't want to diminish leaders who led that way in the past, because that was a different time and that was considered okay, right, and you know it's interesting that you bring up that you're a military veteran and because once you also agree that even in the military the style of leadership, the leadership training, has shifted as well, absolutely 100%, absolutely.
Speaker 2:It's more empowering, it's more collaborative, it's more hey, they're intelligent and they're going to help us get to where we're going because it has. So, yes, it is more inclusive and empowering today than it was when I first went into the military. It was hey, we have all the answers and we'll tell you what we want you to do. We don't pay you to think hey, we have all the answers and we'll tell you what we want you to do. We don't pay you to think, we pay you to work and respond. But it's flipped and said actually, we do want to know your ideas, we do want to hear your opinions, we do know that. You see a difference. So now it's more. Feed some stuff into this database so we can get better.
Speaker 3:That wasn't the case when I first came in. So I think this whole shift, the key thing we're talking about, is trust. Yes, we're talking about trust, and I know we haven't said a whole lot about trust just yet, but trust is like one of those centerpieces that's amidst all of this, and the old model was trust the person at the top. Yes, right, the caesar, the emperor, whatever it was like the all-knowing leader. They have all the answers and, yes, we will just follow the leader. And today it's shifted. But in order to get to that shift, we need to develop trust in all directions, and so the leader whether it's a CEO, the COO, cfo, the leader of the company needs to build connections and relationships with the people that they're working with right, and it might be their vice president team. They need to get to a place where they trust the leaders they surround themselves with and have those open conversations and learn to listen authentically. And as we do that, I believe it's inevitable that we will learn from those we surround ourselves with. And what's wonderful is, once you get to that point, this level of stress just starts to drop the pressure, to feel like you have to know every single thing and be the best at every single thing in your company is unrealistic. That's why we hire people with certain skills, skill sets right, and some leaders are creative visionaries and we need people like that right, and some leaders are really great at the details. So if you're a creative, visionary leader, the detail work might not be your high skill set, and that's okay. Bring in people to work with you on your team that are the detail people, yes, but empower them because you trust them. Right, empower them.
Speaker 3:I love what Jim Collins said in Good to Great right, which is all about hiring the right people on the bus, getting the right people on the bus. Now, sometimes you got to get the wrong people off the bus, and that's one of the hard decisions of being a leader. You got to let some people go. But when you get the right people on your team and then you trust them and you don't micromanage right, you don't micromanage because there's a level of high trust, and so the more trust we can create in our teams and our, in our schools and our music ensembles, everybody starts to perform at a higher level when they feel trusted. In fact, another wonderful book I've read is Extreme Ownership by two Navy SEALs and I love this idea that, no matter where you are in the company, you take ownership as if it's your company.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love the book, so I'm dropping a bunch of books that are really really good. I had a gentleman on the podcast and I'll use what he says as we begin to see how we close up for today. He was a naval pilot Blue Angels top notch, taught at Top Gun, and the thing that showed up for him what you're speaking to on here, dr Matthew is he had gotten to a level of being really really good like awesome, of being really really good like awesome, and then when he got the top gun, he was the most incompetent skill set wise because he had elevated to a level he was consciously competent. And then he got to a higher level, a degree of how accurate he had to be, and he was so accustomed to checking his own aircraft every single time before he ever flew. And when he got to the top gun, they said you won't be allowed to check your aircraft. You're going to have to trust someone else to get it all right or your plane will not make it through the flight.
Speaker 2:It was a moment of what you spoke to is trusting people. Literally, his life was in the hands of his crew chief. He didn't get to walk his aircraft anymore. He didn't get to check all of the gauges and all the gadgets on the aircraft anymore. He had to trust that you knew your job well enough, dr Matthew, that he was going to be okay, and he said he struggled because he was so accustomed. But how many leaders struggle with trusting people when your career's on the line, your reputation's on the line, your character's on the line, your promotion's on the line, the organization's on the line, but you can't do it yourself because you're not that good enough and you don't have enough time to do it all yourself.
Speaker 3:How do you help leaders begin to trust their team wholeheartedly? As you're speaking, man, I feel for the pilot and the training, that absolutely is like a paradigm shift. Right, if you're so used to like. If it's going to be right, it's got to be done by me that old adage right, and now we have to say like, I'm not going to be doing everything, and that allows you to focus on what you're best at. So it sounds like one of his great skill sets was flying, right. So now he's not checking on the plane, but they're trusting him up in the air. You know the controls flying the plane and I think that's a part of like that letting go. That letting go.
Speaker 3:For me, I think it's a process. For sure, I'm a big believer in mindfulness and self-awareness and my book a part of it is on mindfulness and being a mindful leader, and I think that's really important to explore our inner world. And when we explore our inner world whether it's through mindful breathing techniques like the box breath or for meditation or mindful walking we start to reflect more and maybe we can start to become aware of what is it that's holding us back, what is it that's making a barrier for trusting others. And then, as we start to look within, and then, as we start to look within, we start to become more aware of our EGO, our ego and sometimes it's our ego that has trouble letting go. But when we can come to an awareness or an acknowledgement like oh, that's just my ego, I'm going to start to let that go and be present and be present in the moment, and then we begin to let go, then we can begin to trust. It's almost. Vulnerability begins with being vulnerable with ourselves.
Speaker 2:I think so we'll close on this one because we have to invite you back, because it'll open up another 30 minutes of conversation for us. But you're absolutely right For leaders, once you work that hard to become great, people do know who you are. People are counting on you, are depending on you, you know you're good and you are good and everybody else knows that you're really really good. How do you get leaders that people expect for you to be as good as you are but they don't want to? Ego, because that really is a challenge. It can destroy culture, it can destroy family or community or business. You're the CEO of your company but you're hiring really really good people but you won't get out of the way because it's your company. It's like, hey, it's mine, I started my dream, I need you. That ego does show up really really fast. What's the first step to start making sure you manage that and it doesn't be destructive?
Speaker 3:You're right, that's a long conversation, isn't it? I mean, that's also something that doesn't happen overnight. It does. I think it's a lifelong process and we will never be without ego and ego is not all bad right, but it can get in our way. And when it gets in our way is when we notice that it's about us.
Speaker 3:And I think it's so important to wake up in the morning and think about what can I do to serve others? Yes, what difference can I make for others today? And to me that's a leadership mindset what can I do for others? And you know, as a performer, bringing it back to music we can handle, like stage fright, which you probably heard of performers getting stage fright. One of the reasons we get stage fright is because we get in our head. It starts becoming about us. Oh, what are people going to think? I'm going to mess up those that voice in our head. But if we turn it around and think, how can I make a difference? How can I make people in the audience feel these emotions? How can I entertain them today, what can I do for them, then you get out of your head and you shift into service, as a performer, as a conductor and then, as a leader, when we make it about others, we're able to kind of set our own ego down and say I'm here to lift, encourage and inspire my team and beyond.
Speaker 2:Wow, thank you for unpacking. I love it because when you're on that stage or you're getting ready to do something, what most people want is for you to be present. There's no expectation that you're on that stage or you're getting ready to do something. What most people want is for you to be present. There's no expectation that you're perfect it doesn't exist but they do expect you to be present and everybody can be present. So, as you're listening, leaders, what your team is really asking for is you to be present, care, as you said in character, and act on it. Make sure that you're acting on the fact that you care, and that's an actionable item. So, as you listen to us and you listen to Dr Matthew, talk about the things phenomenal books. We're going to button up here. You have a book, you get to travel a lot, you speak a lot, bring up your book again and how we find it, and then can you tell people how to reach you if they want to bring you on a podcast or leverage your services With a visual aid.
Speaker 3:I'm holding up the book here. First of all, it's just what a great conversation we've had, man. I love that it's unscripted and we just dove deep right away. It's like we got the deep end right away.
Speaker 3:So, I just love it. So great, all right. So if you're interested in speaking of diving in deeper, I encourage you to get a hold of my book. It's titled Upbeat Mindset, mindfulness and Leadership and Music Education and Beyond, and I want to really focus on that word beyond, because these messages are universal. Many of the stories are from when I was a band director and in the music world, but the cool thing is is that, no matter what your background is, you can connect. You can connect with these messages. So you can find out more about me at my website, which is upbeatglobalcom. You can buy the book there at upbeatglobalcom. You can buy the book there at upbeatglobalcom. You can also get it on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. And there's some exciting new upbeat resources that are going to be released in December. We're coming out with the upbeat journal and the upbeat get to do planner in December, and we're in production mode right now the upbeat audio book, which is super exciting, and then we're hoping to meet the February deadline to have the upbeat workbook released in February. So stay tuned and I encourage you to go to my website and subscribe so you can make sure that you stay connected with all of the releases and I also write a monthly article on leadership, so I want to make sure you get a hold of that. If you are on social media, I encourage you to follow me, matthew Arau A-R-A-U on Facebook, and I have a private group I'd love for you to join. It's called Upbeat Leaders, so request to join Upbeat leaders, and there's thousands of people from around the world. I post there at a minimum once daily, sometimes two, three times a day, and it's a wonderful, uplifting space for all of us to grow and develop every single day, to become the best version of ourselves and to grow as leaders.
Speaker 3:The word upbeat if some people are wondering where that comes from it has multiple meanings. Okay, so you might think of a upbeat person that might be a positive, uplifting, encouraging person, maybe a good listener, somebody you go to when you're having a bad day. But the word upbeat also comes from music and as a conductor, I give the upbeat to the ensemble. When I stand in front of them, I inhale through my mouth, I breathe in and then I exhale on the downbeat and then the ensemble comes in. Well, in that upbeat motion, when I'm lifting my hands up and breathing in, I actually hear the music in my head before it's created, and I want you to think about how this applies to us as human beings.
Speaker 3:See our thoughts, just like music we hear in our head in the silence before it's created. See our thoughts, just like music we hear in our head in the silence before it's created. Our thoughts are the upbeats to our actions. Our attitude is our upbeat to any situation, and we choose our thoughts and our attitude. We choose our upbeat. Yes, and that is what's key and central to what it means to be an upbeat leader. It doesn't mean you're going to be a perfect leader. It doesn't mean you're not going to mess up some days, but it becomes ultimately your responsibility. You choose your thoughts and you choose your attitude. You choose your response, and when you do that as a leader, it's unbelievable what can happen to lift up your team, to transform the culture and to ultimately help create a better world.
Speaker 2:Yes, I love it. Thank you for sharing the book, sharing where Upbeat is coming from, and thank you for sharing so much information. You know and unpack, you know what, ron Harvey, where it's just a conversation that allows your richness to show up and you get to be fully present and authentic. So thank you for being authentic and sharing so much with our audience. If someone wants to reach out, what's the easiest way.
Speaker 3:Wonderful, yeah. I'm going to share a couple here. So I'm on LinkedIn Matthew Rau, A-R-A-U. Love to have you message me there. My email is easy to remember. It's Matthew, with two Ts M-A-T-T-H-E-W at upbeatglobalcom. Good branding, yes, yes my friend.
Speaker 3:Yes, so it'd be wonderful to hear from you. I love doing podcast interviews. You could tell that I'm filled with joy getting to be on this podcast here with Ron, and I love collaborating in any way possible. I love lifting, training and working with companies and organizations to reach a higher level, and hopefully a lot of the things we talked about today resonate with you, because if we have an opportunity to work together, I always tailor what I do towards what you need and what the next level is.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Thank you, Dr Matthew. Phenomenal everyone that's listening. Thank you for joining us and hanging in with us, as we shared a lot of great content, unpacked as well, pretty transparent about what we see, what we notice, what we're observing, and share what we are learning in the process. So continue to read, continue to develop yourself, join podcasts, be a part of something that's of service to other people. Again, Ron Harvey, Vice President Global Core Strategies and Consulting, love for you to connect with me on LinkedIn or you can always go to our website of Global Core Strategies and Consulting and you'll have access to reach us at any time. But, as always, thank you for joining us.
Speaker 2:Matthew and I totally enjoyed the opportunity to have a really healthy conversation about challenges that everyone's facing every day as a leader. Leadership is tough and it can be very, very lonely if you go along. So always, always, have a circle of advisors around you to help you grow and don't feel like you got to have all the answers. Continue to show up with us and we'll continue to share with you. Share our link to our podcast, Invite guests. If you know someone, that'll be a great guest. We'd love to have them. But until then, Dr Matthew and I will sign off and we appreciate you joining us and hanging with us, and until next time, this is the day for us. On Unpacked with Ron Harvey.
Speaker 1:Well, we hope you enjoyed this edition of Unpacked Podcast with leadership consultant Ron Harvey. Remember to join us every Monday as Ron unpacks sound advice, providing real answers for real leadership challenges. Until next time, remember to add value and make a difference where you are, for the people you serve, because people always matter.
