My oldest son is an Army Officer in the Infantry. As an Infantry Officer, he has the opportunity to attend Ranger school which is one of the toughest programs the military offers. Within the first couple of hours of arriving to Camp Rogers, ranger students begin a 61 day journey where they suffer through hunger, extreme physical pain and emotional/mental stress. All of this is an attempt to bring out the very best in themselves in pursuit of leading the men and women who protect our country. It’s humbling and remarkable. [Read more…] about How Launchers Lead the Way
shane
066: Celebrate Well: The Secret Fuel for Launch
/
RSS Feed
Summary:
You and your team are accomplishing big things. Big, difficult things. And with all the testing, tweaking and launching, it’s easy to lose sight of something just as important: celebrating. As Shane and David share in today’s episode, a pause to celebrate creates energy and momentum. It can even be the fuel to rocket power through the next launch.
Welcome to Episode 66 of The Launch Youniversity Podcast.
Links + Resources:
Get Your Ideas Off The Ground: The Launch Loop ebook
Three Takeaways:
1. Celebrating reminds us of the why.
Moving straight from one big project or launch to the next one can be draining for your team. Taking the time to stop, thank and acknowledge your team will help remind everyone of the vision and their place in the vision.
2. Big and planned, or small and spontaneous.
Celebrating well doesn’t mean you have to throw a Christmas-party type of evening everytime you complete a project. Small and spontaneous works well too, like bringing in donuts or ice cream for the team. It really isn’t about what you do—it’s about making your team feel seen, appreciated and celebrated.
3. Delegate it.
If you’re not inherently inclined to plan celebrations, choose someone on your team who loves to help people celebrate. Give them full permission to give you a nudge when they think a celebration might be in order, and let them put it on the calendar and organize the details.
056: Become a Better Listener
/
RSS Feed
SUMMARY:
Leadership skills can only take you so far if you’re not a good listener. A few years ago, Shane began working with a Listening Coach. Through working on his listening skills, he learned that being a good listener is a lot more than just sitting quietly while another person talks. True listening is about helping people self-discover their own solutions.
Welcome to Episode 56 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.
LINKS MENTIONED:
Can You Hear Me Now? by Dr. Dallas Demmitt
Why I Stopped Solving Problems for My Team
Listening to Customer Feedback in the Validate Stage
THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Shane’s Listening Coach, Dr. Dallas Demmitt, created a simple but effective framework to become a better listener and thinking partner. Here are three ways you can become a better listener today:
1. Ask: How can I bring value to the person I’m listening to?
In order to truly be a good listener, you need to understand the person across the table. This is called anchoring the conversation. It’s putting yourself in a position to truly value the person you are listening to. Ask yourself: “How do I make ___ feel valued and appreciated?” Remember, the goal of listening isn’t to solve problems… it’s to help others self-discover their own solutions.
Read Shane’s blog post: Why I Stopped Solving Problems for My Team
2. Eliminate outside distractions.
One of the hardest parts of being a good listener is focus. Even if you’re listening, a quick glance at your watch or checking your phone can be perceived as you checking-out. Ask yourself: What’s most important here: The solution and your time? Or your ability to help the person? If it’s the ability to help the person, then put away your phone.
3. Summarize their thoughts back to them.
Allow someone to hear their own thoughts. Recap what they said to you and repeat it back to them. This moves you from solving their problems for them to taking them down the path to self-discovery.
024: Personal Branding, Inspiration and Other Lessons from SXSW
/
RSS Feed
Summary:
This past month, David and Shane traveled to one of the biggest conferences in the country, SXSW (South by Southwest). They made the trip to Austin, Texas to stay up-to-date with industry trends, meet fellow creators in the digital space, and find ideas and inspiration to implement in their roles back in Atlanta.
On today’s episode of the Launch Youniversity Podcast, David and Shane are sharing their five key takeaways from the conference.
Welcome to episode 24 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.
Links + Resources:
The SXSW Conference
What Happens in Vegas Stays on YouTube by Erik Qualman
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Get Backed: Craft Your Story, Build the Perfect Pitch Deck, and Launch the Venture of Your Dreams by Evan Baehr
Jessica Matthews of Uncharted Play
Imagine Step of the Launch Loop
Three Takeaways:
1. Your personal brand is both your stamp and your shadow.
David and Shane listened to a powerful talk on personal branding while at SXSW. In it, the idea of a brand stamp and a brand shadow was presented. Your brand stamp is what you say about yourself, but your brand shadow is what others say about your brand.
Sometimes brand shadows are really positive. Sometimes brand shadows offer authentic feedback and helpful critiques. The best and most effective brands pay attention to their shadow. They listen to what people are saying, take their feedback into consideration, and engage with those who are commenting.
2. Apps could be gone in 5 years.
Does that sounds dramatic? At first, David and Shane thought so too. But after listening to a compelling talk about how people will use different apps less and less and brands will instead integrate into customer’s social media experience, it made a lot of sense.
Whether or not apps will be around in five years wasn’t the biggest takeaway of that talk though, it was that the world of digital and technology is rapidly changing. A few years ago people laughed at the idea of Amazon using drones to deliver products, but now it’s something that’s happening. If, as either entrepreneurs or intrepreneurs, we aren’t thinking and dreaming about the future, we’re going to end up behind.
3. Good work needs good inspiration.
One of the questions Shane left SXSW asking was: What am I doing to be inspired? At every talk Shane and David attended, their speakers saw a problem and were inspired to create a solution. Because inspiration isn’t tangible, it can be a hard thing to prioritize when your to-do list already feels a mile long, but the books you read, people you meet, podcasts you listen to and trips you take all can fill you with invaluable inspiration.
000: Introducing The Launch Youniversity Podcast
/
RSS Feed
Summary:
Welcome to The Launch Youniversity Podcast! In the first-ever episode, Jeff Henderson, David Farmer, Shane Benson and Kevin Jennings explain what Launch Youniversity is, why they’re passionate about it and how they hope it serves you, the listeners.
Launch Youniversity aims to engage the next generation of leaders who are driven to accelerate their personal and professional development by providing them with resources, tools, and advice to promote their ingenuity.
The Launch Youniversity Podcast helps go-getters, like you, discover what it takes to turn good intentions into reality in their career, business, and life.
Links + Resources:
- Read more about Jeff, David, Shane and Kevin
- Resource: A Toolbox for Launchers
- The Five Elements of the Launch Sequence
Three Takeaways:
1. We’re all launchers. Whether you are launching your own business, a product, or an idea within your company.
2. There’s inevitably going to be uncertainty. If you’re willing to embrace the uncertainty, you’re going to grow.
3. You don’t need to know everything. Surround yourself with the people who have been there before.