Mar 29, 2017
Co-hosts Jan Rutherford and Jim Vaselopulos interview
Tommy Spaulding - the author of “Heart-Led Leader.” The
conversation explores themes on being humble, authentic, and
honorable vis-a-vis grit, edge, and tenacity. Tommy wrote about
Return On Relationship (ROR), and says that with authentic
relationships, you get lifelong customers. When you have a genuine
interest in others, they will ask you, “What do you do? How can I
help you?” Tommy believes the greatest leaders are the ones that
connect the head to the heart.
Listen in to learn more about leading with your head
and heart..
Key Takeaways
[1:59] Tommy’s career started at Up With People. In
the course of that job he met Ken Blanchard, who changed his life.
Tommy followed his footsteps to become a thought leader, speaker,
and author.
Tommy sees his success as being based on ‘heart.’ He
categorizes thought leaders as either arrogant about success or
humble about their path to learning.
[4:39] Tommy says within minutes of entering an event
he can tell if the CEO is respected and loved. You can choose to
work every day on being humble, authentic, and honorable. It’s
Not Just Who You Know is about ‘net giving,’ not networking.
Net giving is where your heart should be when you meet people.
Don’t sell yourself, but learn about others, and how you can serve
them and give to them.
[12:03] Leadership books must deliver bottom line
results. Tommy wrote about Return On Relationship (ROR) to steer
people toward relationship building. Authentic relationships become
lifelong customers. Tommy reveals the ‘magical’ key to monetizing
relationships. Without this key, the relationship will fail. When
you have a genuine interest in others, they will ask you, “What do
you do? How can I help you?”
[18:16] As Tommy met leaders, he observed the ones
that people particularly loved. He started taking notes, and
listing leaders that he felt were servant leaders, and interviewed
them. The greatest leaders are the ones that connect the head to
the heart. People want to follow them.
[20:31] Tommy defines a great leader as one people
choose to follow, because they love and are loved. Tommy uses the
example of Roger Eaton, the global President of KFC. He is not just
respected, but is loved by his people. Tommy talks on love in the
workplace. Millennials will not follow you, unless they know that
you are creating a place of goodness.
[27:38] Tommy wants a Maserati, but he won’t leave
Lexus, because of service manager Kelly Kennedy. Kelly provides
incredible customer service, and hugs Tommy every time he sees him.
Any leader would want customers to feel about their staff the way
Tommy considers Kelly.
[36:54] In building authentic relationships with
people, the goal is not get on their Christmas card list. The goal
is to be invited to their Christmas (or Chanukah) dinner. Make a
list of the top 20 important people in your life, and ask what kind
of relationship you have. Ask, how would you love and serve them
more? It can transform your life. It takes time. Tommy discusses
authentic philanthropy.
Books Mentioned in This Episode
The One Minute Manager, by Kenneth Blanchard Ph.D. and
Spencer Johnson M.D.
Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness
Through Situational Leadership, by Ken Blanchard, Patricia
Zigarmi, and Drea Zigarmi
The Heart-Led Leader: How Living and Leading From the Heart
Will Change Your Organization and Your Life, by Tommy
Spaulding
It's Not Just Who You Know: Transform Your Life (and Your
Organization) by Turning Colleagues and Contacts into Lasting,
Genuine Relationships, by Tommy Spaulding, Foreword by Ken
Blanchard
Bio
Tommy Spaulding is the Founder & President of Spaulding Companies,
a leadership development, speaking, training, and executive
coaching firm based in Denver, Colorado. A world-renowned speaker
on leadership, Spaulding has spoken to hundreds of organizations,
associations, educational institutions, and corporations around the
globe. His first book, It’s Not Just Who You Know: Transform
Your Life and Your Organization by Turning Colleagues and Contacts
into Lasting, Genuine Relationships, published by Penguin
Random House in 2010, quickly climbed to the top of the New
York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA
Today national bestseller lists. His new book, The
Heart-Led Leader, published by Penguin Random House in
October, 2015 is a New York Times and #1 Wall Street
Journal national bestseller and was also listed on Inc.com’s
Top 100 Business Books of 2015.
Spaulding rose to become the youngest President & CEO
of the world-renowned leadership organization, Up with People. In
2000, Tommy founded Leader’s Challenge, which grew to become the
largest high school civic and leadership program in the state of
Colorado. He is the Founder & President of the Global Youth
Leadership Academy as well as the National Leadership Academy, a
leading national non-profit high school leadership development
organization.
Previously, Spaulding was the Business Partner Sales
Manager at IBM/Lotus Development and a member of the Japan Exchange
and Teaching (JET) program. He received a BA in Political Science
from East Carolina University (1992); an MBA from Bond University
in Australia (1998), where he was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar;
and an MA in Nonprofit Management from Regis University (2005).
In 2006, Spaulding was awarded the Outstanding Alumni
Award by East Carolina University (ECU) and in 2007, Spaulding
received an Honorary PhD in Humanities from the Art Institute of
Colorado. In September, 2012 Spaulding was named by Meetings &
Conventions Magazine as one of the 100 MOST FAVORITE SPEAKERS in
the nation.
Tommy resides in the Denver metro area with his wife
and children.
Website: TommySpaulding.com
Website: NationalLeadershipAcademy.org
Website: GlobalYouthLeadershipAcademy.com
Facebook: Tommy Spaulding
Twitter: @TommySpaulding
LinkedIn: Tommy
Spaulding