Thom Shea's Blog, page 12

198. Finding Your Alpha

When it comes to sports, business, or just life in general, everyone wants to be an Alpha. When we think of all the different kinds of people that exist in the world, we tend to put different people in different categories. This is very similar to a pack of wolves. Everyone in the pack has a different set of skills and roles; the same is true with humans. However, the Alpha is not as well understood as people think. Often times optimized at every level, the Alpha tends to live a more lonely existence. This is not done purposefully. On the contrary, finding top performing individuals is a necessity that every person with drive tries to find. However, the very process on being the best tends to isolate someone because others want to take the easy route. If someone is willing to be different and isolated, it is can be extremely satisfying for them. Also, the very act of searching for like minded individuals will create those people in life. However, people will often find they turn more into an Omega. An Omega is just as isolated as the Alpha, but because of a different reason: they choose only one area to excel in at the expense of other areas of life. There are other types of people that do exist in life ranging from other roles of the pack, sheep, sheepdog, and others. However, as most people seem to obsess over the role of the Alpha, it is our duty to lay out what an Alpha truly is. When all is said and done, the only real question to ask oneself is whether I am seeking to improve myself day to day. Are you trying to better yourself on a daily basis?

Show Notes:

3:50 - What is an Omega?

8:20 - You have to judge yourself too.

11:06 - What makes a sheep dog?

14:33 - What makes a sheep?

22:20 - You can change packs.

25:00 - What makes an Alpha pack rare?

197. Learn what emotions are actually designed to do.

Shifts in business practices have been happening faster with the growth of technology. During COVID-19, virtual meetings which were previously considered annoying became a necessity. Every day a new software comes out that allows people to do more with in less time. However, there seems to remain a struggle to advance training within companies. In 2004, companies began outsourcing their training to save money. After paying for a training department, the initial numbers showed that they could pay a contractor less. However, like most things, they forgot to account for human error. The training agencies were not as familiar with the company and ended up costing more because of the lack of quality in training. This is not to say that training agencies are bad, but they don’t have the level of knowledge about the specific company the employees will be working for. Unfortunately, so many analysts are high in IQ (Intelligence Quotient) but not in EQ (Emotional Quotient). It is very easy to crunch numbers and have a machine spit out a figure about budgeting. However, it is a much different skillset to know how future employees will react to training. This is not to say that emotions in the workplace are good. Apart from grieving or encouragement, emotion is largely negative— resulting in excuses and inaction. Keeping emotions out of your goals is a very difficult process. In fact, society tell us how emotional we should be when it comes to our actions and goals. However, emotional reactions are then dependent on…more emotional reactions. The need for an emotional is a very addicting, cyclical process. Another discussion about training is OJT (on-the-job training) versus process training. There are probably an equal number of practitioners on both sides of the fence with some using a combination of both. Most people may assume that if keeping training in house is a good practice then so should OJT, but that is not the case. Due to the demands it puts on company staff, whom are not experienced in training, this type of training can cause less efficiency for workers and doesn’t really give steps/guidelines for incoming employees. Processes, on the other hand, are constructed, or should be, when an effective system is created. After reflecting on this, how does your company approach training?

Show Notes: 

1:29 - How do you hedge against emotion?

3:50 - People don't care how much you know till the know how much you care.

5:10 - Money doesn't buy culture.

7:00 - Why don't companies have training departments?

11:31 - Which is better: on the job training or process training?

14:58 - The history of military training

197. How Do You Manage Emotions At Work?

Shifts in business practices have been happening faster with the growth of technology. During COVID-19, virtual meetings which were previously considered annoying became a necessity. Every day a new software comes out that allows people to do more with in less time. However, there seems to remain a struggle to advance training within companies. In 2004, companies began outsourcing their training to save money. After paying for a training department, the initial numbers showed that they could pay a contractor less. However, like most things, they forgot to account for human error. The training agencies were not as familiar with the company and ended up costing more because of the lack of quality in training. This is not to say that training agencies are bad, but they don’t have the level of knowledge about the specific company the employees will be working for. Unfortunately, so many analysts are high in IQ (Intelligence Quotient) but not in EQ (Emotional Quotient). It is very easy to crunch numbers and have a machine spit out a figure about budgeting. However, it is a much different skillset to know how future employees will react to training. This is not to say that emotions in the workplace are good. Apart from grieving or encouragement, emotion is largely negative— resulting in excuses and inaction. Keeping emotions out of your goals is a very difficult process. In fact, society tell us how emotional we should be when it comes to our actions and goals. However, emotional reactions are then dependent on…more emotional reactions. The need for an emotional is a very addicting, cyclical process. Another discussion about training is OJT (on-the-job training) versus process training. There are probably an equal number of practitioners on both sides of the fence with some using a combination of both. Most people may assume that if keeping training in house is a good practice then so should OJT, but that is not the case. Due to the demands it puts on company staff, whom are not experienced in training, this type of training can cause less efficiency for workers and doesn’t really give steps/guidelines for incoming employees. Processes, on the other hand, are constructed, or should be, when an effective system is created. After reflecting on this, how does your company approach training?

Show Notes: 

1:29 - How do you hedge against emotion?

3:50 - People don't care how much you know till the know how much you care.

5:10 - Money doesn't buy culture.

7:00 - Why don't companies have training departments?

11:31 - Which is better: on the job training or process training?

14:58 - The history of military training

196. Hire slow and test. Fire Fast if you fail.

Ask any boss what is his or her least favorite task at work and they will probably say, "Hiring". Why? Maybe you have heard the phrase, "Good help is hard to find." Having to go through resumes, schedule interviews, and not find the right candidate— the boss quickly realizes that maybe a recruiting agency would just be better.

196. How Will Top Companies Hire?

Ask any boss what is his or her least favorite task at work and they will probably say, "Hiring". Why? Maybe you have heard the phrase, "Good help is hard to find." Having to go through resumes, schedule interviews, and not find the right candidate— the boss quickly realizes that maybe a recruiting agency would just be better.

Also, hiring can often feel like playing a game of chance. For instance, your company is running fine right now, but you want to be optimal. However, optimal looks scary because of risk; the person may be wrong for the company, he or she may be horrible at the job, or money could be lost. Risk is always going to be a possibility.

Maybe the issue isn't so much that they keep finding the wrong person, but rather they aren't attracting the right people to their companies. When you think of careers that are easy to get into, being a Navy SEAL probably doesn't come to mind. Long hours, risk of death, and extreme physical discomfort aren't on most job candidate's bucket list. That is the point.

The Navy does not make it easy to become a Navy SEAL. Why? They only want the best of the best. If candidacy was easy, America would have the worst Special Forces in the world. Yet, companies don't hire this way. Many cycle through employees like someone changing a shirt and wonder why they can't find good hires.

Making hiring difficult is not a possible method, it is the only method. Cream rises to the top and so do the best hires. Those that want to succeed will not be daunted by the challenges of being hired, but will gladly embrace them.

If a company doesn't know who to hire or how to hire, it's possible they haven't thought through their mission, vision, and values. In fact, if someone asked employees what those were, they probably wouldn't even know them. If employees don't know them, how can the right person be expected to be attracted to the organization?

Show Notes:

1:22 - How do you hire after Covid-19?

3:28 - What are Organization Charts?

7:40 - Mission, Vision, & Value first

9:59 - Hire a Relational Hunter

16:03 - Why you should make hiring purposefully hard

31:00 - Disruption is the only method for consulting

195. How Does Winning In Football Translate To Business? With Tajh Boyd (Part 3)

There are no good excuses. That is why they are called excuses. Unfortunately, most people don't even realize what false truths they are believing. Thom Shea, 23 year Navy SEAL vet and sniper, mentions that there are four main excuses we all have in our lives: I'm tired, I don't have support, pain, and the most common, I forgot.

How do you get rid of these? You have to want it more than you do now. Whatever you are trying to achieve needs to overcome the excuse, even "I forgot". Because of the difficulty of life and goals in general, these excuses tend to be subtle, seductive, and believable. Think about it: you are in pain, you're tired, no one believes in you and the real, tangible things are there.

Truly successful people silence those excuses and don't allow them to define the decisions they make. Your goals have to be more tempting than the opportunity to quit. Quitting sounds so good, right? No more pain. No more suffering. However, the regret will eat you alive. You can stay average or you can be great.

Another problem that a lot of people face is regret. When presented with two choices that aren't clear, you will most likely be sorry for not choosing the other. The very regret stops you from putting your entire mental focus into what you want to achieve. Make a decision and run with it. Don't look back.

Finally, the biggest obstacle that people face is the belief that your circumstances get to define who you are and what you are capable of. The problem with believing this is that you tie up your worth to those circumstances. If you truly believed that you are worth more than what are going through or have, you can change that. You can have whatever you want as long as you follow this principle: Honor your word and never give up.

Show notes:

2:20 - The dumbest excuse

14:10 - Equality vs. Opportunity

17:10 - How to transition

23:13 - What is Tajh Boyd doing right now?

29:59 - You need a goal

33:48 - Be obsessed or be average

38:30 - Make a decision and make it right

194. How Does Winning In Football Translate To Business? With Tajh Boyd (Part 2)

Take note of the people you surround yourself with. That's a litmus test for how successful you will become. In Episode 194, Can Football Translate to Business? (Part 2), Joseph and Thom sit down with Tajh Boyd and define what teamwork means. The similarities between football, business, and Navy SEALs show that certain principles exist across many organizations.

In fact, every Navy SEAL and high-performing football player always start at ground zero; they must prove themselves. One of the first things that tends to disappear, at least among successful teams, is ego. There is no room for illusions of grandeur when it comes to winning football games or defeating enemies. Ego is the enemy of success. The amount of training that is required for a group of individuals to act like a team equals hours and hours of repetition.

Having practiced simple steps and coordination, each member operates as one, without hesitation or worry. Often, the practice results in an automatic response from each teammate. At Clemson, this effort has resulted in Clemson winning two NCAA Division I Football National Championships over the past four years. For Navy SEALs, the endless years of training makes them one of the deadliest military groups in the world.

Whether it is in fitness, professional life, or sports, achieving the flow state has become one of the hottest topics around. To be able to get to a flow state requires complete immersion into the activity. The mind never wanders but rather, is focused completely on the task at hand. Both Tajh and Thom explain how the amount of work that gets put in before the mission or game results in the level of flow state achieved. It does not require a complex workaround of the mind but does require a focus on simple things.

Navy SEALs have gotten to such a high-performing state that their commands and actions are given without even speaking. The level of trust and lack of worry is beyond surreal when a team is on a mission. Movements and firefights are completed by just watching your teammates’ actions. Football is no different. All a quarterback must do is call a play and the team moves as one. The amount of practice results in teammates anticipating and trusting each other’s actions.

Can we apply these principles in business and everyday life? Absolutely. Trust and teamwork are not just for the football field or battleground. Spend time on simple things so they become second nature. Develop trust in your team. The amount of work will not be easy, but success never is. You owe it to those on your team to put ego aside and fully give them trust.

Show Notes:

0:50 - Never train to win

5:30 - The Warrior

13:00 - Looking Glass Self Theory

20:30 - In the moment

28:10 - Ultra-marathon mindset

34:02 - Navy SEAL Team basics

We hope you enjoy this podcast. If you want to subscribe to be notified of each new episode, subscribe on iTunes: https://apple.co/3fAdDRf.

194. Can Football Translate To Business? With Tajh Boyd (Part 2)

Take note of the people you surround yourself with. That's a litmus test for how successful you will become. In Episode 194, Can Football Translate to Business? (Part 2), Joseph and Thom sit down with Tajh Boyd and define what teamwork means. The similarities between football, business, and Navy SEALs show that certain principles exist across many organizations.

In fact, every Navy SEAL and high-performing football player always start at ground zero; they must prove themselves. One of the first things that tends to disappear, at least among successful teams, is ego. There is no room for illusions of grandeur when it comes to winning football games or defeating enemies. Ego is the enemy of success. The amount of training that is required for a group of individuals to act like a team equals hours and hours of repetition.

Having practiced simple steps and coordination, each member operates as one, without hesitation or worry. Often, the practice results in an automatic response from each teammate. At Clemson, this effort has resulted in Clemson winning two NCAA Division I Football National Championships over the past four years. For Navy SEALs, the endless years of training makes them one of the deadliest military groups in the world.

Whether it is in fitness, professional life, or sports, achieving the flow state has become one of the hottest topics around. To be able to get to a flow state requires complete immersion into the activity. The mind never wanders but rather, is focused completely on the task at hand. Both Tajh and Thom explain how the amount of work that gets put in before the mission or game results in the level of flow state achieved. It does not require a complex workaround of the mind but does require a focus on simple things.

Navy SEALs have gotten to such a high-performing state that their commands and actions are given without even speaking. The level of trust and lack of worry is beyond surreal when a team is on a mission. Movements and firefights are completed by just watching your teammates’ actions. Football is no different. All a quarterback must do is call a play and the team moves as one. The amount of practice results in teammates anticipating and trusting each other’s actions.

Can we apply these principles in business and everyday life? Absolutely. Trust and teamwork are not just for the football field or battleground. Spend time on simple things so they become second nature. Develop trust in your team. The amount of work will not be easy, but success never is. You owe it to those on your team to put ego aside and fully give them trust.

Show Notes:

0:50 - Never train to win

5:30 - The Warrior

13:00 - Looking Glass Self Theory

20:30 - In the moment

28:10 - Ultra-marathon mindset

34:02 - Navy SEAL Team basics

We hope you enjoy this podcast. If you want to subscribe to be notified of each new episode, subscribe on iTunes: https://apple.co/3fAdDRf.

193. How Does Winning In Football Translate To Business? With Tajh Boyd

When you think of football, business and military probably doesn't pop into mind. However, parallels always exist in successful people and entities. Thom and Joseph were able to sit down with Tajh Boyd, former Clemson football quarterback to discuss how principles from football culture translate to business.

In this episode, Tajh talks about the lessons that he learned from playing football through high school and college. Having gone through trials and chaos, his story resonates and draws similarities to Thom's time in the Navy SEALs along with both Thom and Joseph's lessons from business.

Clemson's success from 2011 til now can be attributed not only to the changes in staff, but also changes made to the program's culture. Tajh gives a deep dive into how Clemson focused on the character and accountability of each football player just as much as plays and workouts. Just as in business and life, one of the biggest drivers of success is not having a sense of privilege, but rather working for everything you get.

Show Notes:

4:00 - Common theme with successful people

5:10 - How Tajh Boyd deals with trials

9:43 - Military vs. Football vs. Industry

11:55 - Tajh Boyd's football journey

22:49 - You can only control your own actions

32:19 - How Tajh came to Clemson

51:15 - Recovering from losing

59:53 - Developing Culture We hope you enjoy this podcast. If you want to subscribe to be notified of each new episode, subscribe on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

192. Leadership Qualities Q&A

Leadership is hard enough. Leading during a shutdown is even harder. In this podcast, Thom answers the questions about leadership our followers have been having.

1:30 - How does someone start over after being destroyed? 

4:50 - What do you do when employees don't perform?

6:40 - Who is the most important person in your company?

8:24 - How do you put down work?

10:12 - How do you lead a company during a shutdown?