Why Kobe Bryant Allowed Michael Jordan to Mentor Him His Whole Life

Welcome to this episode of the Million Dollar Mastermind.

I'm Larry Weddell.

And before we get started, if you want to know exactly how to win again and again, go to Wydell on winning.com webinar now to watch something I've put together for you. Now let's get going into this episode.

Of Million Dollar Mastermind. This afternoon, we're talking to Joe Ward from used to be Chicago, but long time Chicago, but now last year Houston, Texas. The world's moving to Houston. Lots of things happening in Houston. Welcome, Joe.

Thanks so much, Larry. Excited to spend some time with you today.

Yes. And for people who don't know Joe, Joe is a mover and shaker in the business community. He's a guy who came up like I did, had to grovel and work and ask questions. You know, Joe is a digger. Joe looks for answer. You know, Joe is one of the guys who will ask you questions. And then unlike every, like most people, you know, Joe, I used to say to people, you know, they come visit, they get in the car, we go eat, or we'd go look at the farm or go to the house or something. I say, you know what surprised me about you? You got me in the car with you and you're not asking me any questions. This is your one chance. Why would you not be asking me questions? You're so intimidated, afraid. You got to get over that. When you get opportunities to find out things, you got to do it. But Joe is one of the guys who not only will ask questions, unlike that rare few people who will ask, Joe will actually do them. And then Joe does something else. Joe, I've noticed about you over here, you'll take the information, use it, apply it, and then develop it and integrate it into your life and kind of come up with your own twists and angles to make it, you know, refine it and polish it where you can get the most out of that information. So I really have a lot of respect for you over that. And I want people to know when they listen, they're going to hear somebody who has fought like I did to get this information, to learn about winning. Because this is all about how you, how you can go from some of those, someone with a nose pressed to the window, looking at the people inside the party, having the success and get on the other side and not just get in once, get in and become a member of the winners club where you're going from success to success to success and, you know, have that victory and stay there and make it a way of life. And that's what, you know, the book serial winners all about. I've got a course on winning to kind of help people collapse time frames because you and I sweated blood to get our hands on this information. And if we knew what we know now, we could save a whole lot of time. So, Joe, let people know. Joe has now become. Because of that and the success Joe's had at building his own business, duplicating himself, opening up offices and expansions around the country, he's become a go to source for not only training and everything, but development and advice on really a whole lot of areas. And he's well known in the superstar business community. And so, Joe, it's really a privilege to have you here. And you're a guy who's always improving. And I know there's something behind this is not accidental that you made this move to Houston. You're repositioning yourself for a whole another surge. And after being there a year, you're probably well underway. So thanks for coming and let people know. When did this idea of doing something special with your life and moving up the ladder, where did that grab hold of you?

Well, I think, Larry, if we could back up a minute, I think that some of the statements that you were making in that introduction, if we get that recorded and get that to my organization, I think that'd be highly beneficial to me. I think that that is one of the big separators. The scripture says that the Lord is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him. And I'm paraphrasing there. And so I've kind of approached that the same way in my business life. I understand that I'm not gonna have all the answers, but there are people that came before me in business or that are having current success that I can gleam from if I have the humility in the process to go to them and to seek that. We have a mutual friend in our industry, in our company by the name of Dick Walker. You know Dick very well, I would assume. And so just to give you an example and your listeners an example, though we do very, very well. We've been making over a million dollars a year in this industry for over four years. A half a million for eight or nine years. I spent about two days at Dick Walker's house about 60 days or so ago, and it was because he was trying to help me with a certain aspect of growing my business. And so we were doing a lot on Zoom and over the telephone, and I said to Dick and I Asked him, can I just come spend a day with you? And that was all I asked for. And he gave me a couple of days. Why do I share that with your listeners? Because the point that you stop diligently seeking knowledge and growth, you're done. It's over with, right? The moment that you cease to stretch, there's nothing that can occur, growth wise in your business. The point where your cup is full, nothing else can be poured in. And so I thought that was a great start of where you kind of started this conversation. Because I'm an advent reader, I am for ferocious about what I'm putting in my consciousness. I have always used the tools that you have provided our industry to help grow my thinking and from that standpoint. And I think that a lot of people today don't do enough of it, right? They feel like they have the answers or they're just not really willing to get that solid counsel, that wise counsel that the scripture talks about a lot. Now, we shouldn't listen to people that have not won, but when there are people that have won that they've been successful, you need to put yourself in a position in any way that you possibly can to grow that. So I don't know if you want to touch on that anymore or you want to kind of talk on what you asked me about.

Yeah, let's go there. Let's keep going. Because I know that you follow the podcast and I want to thank everybody that follows the podcast, because we just went over 260,000 downloads and it's not two years yet, and we just went over 10,000 last week. And so people are getting information that they need, but it was information that I needed when I got started. And this is just finally, after 30 years of figuring out how can I pass this? What's the best way to pass this information on? In addition to the book, I came up with a podcast idea. And if I've been smarter on podcasts, I would have started that 10 years ago. But it took me a long time to figure out how to do it.

But.

The whole idea is winning. The whole idea is accomplishing the things you want to accomplish in life. And to do that, you got to navigate, you got to make decisions. And what do you get when, you know, million dollar earner listening to a podcast from other million dollar earners talk. The people that haven't been successful would find that odd, but the people that are million dollar earners, it would be as natural as breathing because, you know, you need new inspiration, new ideas to stay fresh. Like you say to push forward, you're doing things bigger and better. But you also know the best place to get that information is people who actually know what they're talking about because they've got the accomplishments to prove it. And so what do you get out of tell people what you get as a million dollar earner listening to the million dollar Mastermind podcast. What do you get out of it and why is it a, a smart economic use of your time?

I'll give you a real world example that'll help people kind of understand. Kobe Bryant was directly mentored by Michael Jordan pretty much the entirety of his career. Now you got to understand that Kobe Bryant is trying to be in the same position, if not to exceed Michael Jordan in terms of, of accomplishments. But he also understood that Michael Jordan had walked that road beforehand and they would have conversations. Michael Jordan said in the speech when Colby had passed away that Colby would call him at 1, 2 o' clock in the morning, talking about various strategies and the way that Michael approached the game. And he made the very statement that you and I said personally early on, Larry, most people, very, very few people did that with Michael, to Michael's surprise, right. That people would never do that. Right. As a part of their career. So, you know, when I look at, you know, not even just the million dollar podcast, but also what you've done traditionally with the big hitters call is that there is a lot of information and knowledge that I already have. So, you know, as a part of my career. But one of the things that I kind of glean from it is what are the things that I am possibly missing? Right? It is the gaps. I don't have holes in my business or my business career. But as any individual, any business leader, any entrepreneur, there are going to be gaps. There are going to be some shaded areas that I need to, to have filled in. And so if I can listen to someone that is again, already being successful and already has kind of walked a particular road, especially ones Gary. Larry, one of the things that I have done is I really listened to people that have come before me. Now I spend a lot of time today, you know, creating relationships with people that are growing businesses within our industry right now as well. So I can kind of get, keep my finger on the pulse. But most of the things, the game really hasn't changed. So I like to hear from individuals that built a business at a time where things were more explosive, things were moving a little bit faster. So I can then take that and implement that into my overall system. So when I'm listening myself. It's not. To get an overall frame framework is to make sure it's more like the mortar or the clay to kind of keep things solid as my business career continues.

Hey, listen, there's a lot of information online, but there aren't a lot of people who have actually done something. In my case, I've actually built a successful business that's accrued over $5 billion in assets under management and has done well even during trying times. Now, if you want to know exactly how I've done this, go to Whiteellumwinning.com webinar Now, I've compressed a decade of learning into five short weeks. Just for those of you who want to give yourself an incredible advantage and are tired of waiting and watching others move up.

Yeah. And so what are things? And so when you listen, what things jump out to you?

Confirmation things. Yeah, confirmation things. I don't. There's not. It is said there's nothing new under the sun. Correct. And that is, that is. That is an accurate statement. But what happens for us as leaders, and you can take that in sports or business or whatever the case may be, or what we do is, Larry, we do things that are working at one point and then we stop identifying that that was the reason. So eventually we start to get away from that. So if I listen to another successful leader, another million dollar type of performer, I'm trying to hear things that are confirmation to things that I know worked. But it is a reminder that I need to focus back on. And here's the word I think would be the biggest indicator for me, the fundamentals. And I think that one of the things that happens today, especially in our industry that we are both a part of, is everybody is looking for something new. They are looking for some angle, they are looking for some little gimmick.

Right.

When what most people need to do is they really need to focus on the fundamentals. And so if I listen to one of your podcasts or get on the big hitters call, I want to hear these fundamental keys that are confirmation that I'm doing the right thing or I am headed in the right direction. Yeah.

And one of the marks of a rookie breaking through the finish line and the first time is the euphoria of actually proving to yourself you can do it, but not just beginning. To understand what got you through the finish line and what caused you to keep going and to integrate that into your life is when you can be exposed to other people and you can basically take another challenge. So you use that information while it's fresh in your hands. Because when you break through a barrier, you get a promotion, you start a business, you get your first expansion. What happens is you learn so much that you didn't know before. You develop skills you didn't have before. You develop contacts you didn't have before. You find resources you didn't have before. I go through this in the course, and the thing is, you get all of this stuff that you're really not really aware of because you're focusing like you should do on getting to and through the finish line. But it's only as you raise your eyes, going through that finish line towards what new challenges can I take on now? What does this give me the opportunity to do that you start to realize, oh, now I know this. Now I've got this person working with me now the people that are working with me, they're more educated too. They've got more context too. And we've kind of learned what's a waste of time and what's a good use of time. And so all of this can be harnessed if you, like you said, keep on going and, and evaluate while you do that. It just helps you if you have mentors and live mentors, but not everybody has that. And that's why we've got this podcast. And that's why I do the big hitter call to make sure everybody around the globe who wants the information can have it. Level playing field. All you got to do is make the effort. And so if you're the next Joe Ward out there, you can't be denied and you can save time. And those people are out there because I woke up this morning thinking about the reason why I originally wrote the book, and it was Art Williams statement that the world is full of people who almost do it. We need more people that do it. And going from almost to actually making it happen is everything in life. And to do that, you got to negotiate. I mean, you got to navigate life. You got to use your time and your resources in a way that allow you to keep getting closer to your goal, and eventually you get through it. And so how any other. What do you do on like a weekly basis? Like, one thing you said is you went and you spent time with an industry leader. And one on one time, you know, you plug into the regular calls, the podcasts, things like that. I know you're on. One thing you do is you pass on. You look for opportunities to train and teach and coach other people on the way up. Anything else as far as Part of your regular routine.

Yeah. And I think even with the statements that you were making before, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. You just have to be open for that. The universe is going to lead you in the direction you need to go in. If you're very clear about where you want to go. All of those resources, opportunities, people, mentors, opportunities are going to appear at the time, when necessary. And it all comes down to are you open and are you definite? You know, it's the same thing as it's talked about in Think and grow rich of having that definiteness of purpose. Once you make a true decision about what the destination, like you said, what's my destination, what is my expectation? Once that happens, then everything is going to fall in place. And in terms of, you know, for my own personal regimen, I'm consistently working on me. See, if that doesn't happen, then there's a value gap that occurs at the leadership level and I will have less effectiveness with the people that I lead inside my organization if I'm not constantly working on me. We're probably right now in about five or six states in terms of vice president offices. We're in probably about 30 states in terms of agents, and we currently have about 2,500 licensed agents within our industry, about 45 overall offices. Of course, what we call vice presidents, I'm a believer in, and something that I do and I try to talk to my organization about is reading 10 pages of something every single day. Right? You read 10 pages of something every single day. That means you're reading a book a month. If you're reading a book a month, that means you're reading 12 books a year. You read 12 books a year on any subject. It's pretty much like going and getting a master's degree in that particular area. And it is something you can handle in bite sizes. I still do that today. Now, the thing that you said was, is that, you know, we can look at other leaders and things that they do and then those, those become indicating factors in clues for you. So probably about maybe three to four years ago, probably about four years ago, I started meditating and again, you just start to do. You start to do your research on what successful people do. And that just keeps kind of coming up time and time again. I do a lot through self education, through YouTube. YouTube is an incredible resource today on success and getting resources on that. I probably spend on the average day, probably an hour or so, just getting various YouTube videos. I am always feeding myself now on a kind of more periodic basis. I try to have conversations with people that are where I want to be. Right. Whether it is my peer group or whether it is people. And this is probably one thing that might be unique about me, Larry, is I spend a lot of time talking to and gleaming wisdom and knowledge from people that would be considered a notch or two below me in success in our industry. And there's a reason for that because those individuals see you want to and you have been truly the master of this over your career. You. And that's kind of the key to the big hitter calls is you find people that are on their way and have conversations with them while they're on their way. And I have tried to adopt that in my career where, you know, I'll call people, I'll get a, I'll find out who's winning and I'll get a, you know, I'll get their number some kind of way. And they're, they might be a little starstruck, which I'm a regular guy. But at the end of the day, no, I want to talk to you about you. You're doing some great things. And what am I doing again? I'm trying to gleam what, what are the little holes or I'm always trying to keep my mind on top of innovation, right. What am I not thinking about that I need to be thinking about? Right. The, the problem is in business, in life, in success, it's not what you don't know that's going to kill you. It's not what you know, what you don't know that you know you don't know or that you don't know. Right. It's what you don't know that you don't know. I am on top of what don't I know that I don't know, I don't know that I need to know. And so that's kind of, kind of some of the things I kind of do in my process, I guess.

Thanks so much, Joe for these eye opening insights.

Joined what you've heard and are dead serious about finding out for yourself exactly how this works in the real world. I've taken the most valuable business lessons I've learned over 40 years and put them into something for you to watch. Go to widellumwinning.com webinar now in order to move up as fast as possible, I'm Larry Wydell and I run the Million Dollar Mastermind. Go, go, go.