MBA1668 Guest Teacher – Johnny Merritt – How to Implement Kinetic Leadership

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Oh. Welcome to the $100. Because we know how much your business means to you. That's why we deliver daily 10 minute business lessons for the real world. I'm your host, your coach, your teacher Omar Zenholm. I'm also the co founder of the $100 MBA, a complete business training and community online. And today's episode is a guest teacher episode. Today we have Johnny Merritt and he's going to be teaching you all about kinetic leadership. Have you ever wondered how some leaders can really energize and motivate their team? Like a great coach at a championship game. How does that happen? How do you do that? How do you apply that in real world business? Well that's what Johnny Merritt's here to teach you. Johnny is an experienced attorney who has worked with billion dollar companies and seen leadership done right and not so right. Can't wait to get into this one. So let's get into it. Let's get down to business. Today's guest teacher, Johnny Merritt is an equity partner of Hajar Peters llp. He's an attorney that has worked with billion dollar companies like I mentioned, as a general counsel. So he's been exposed to some really powerhouse leaders. The type of leader that know how to really lead and motivate their team to move mountains and make the impossible happen. He calls this kinetic leadership and he wants to show you how you can do this too. He's going to share with you some real life examples of kinetic leaders so you can apply the same effective leadership in your company. I'm going to pass it on to Johnny now, but I'll be back to give my takeaways and to wrap up the episod. But for now, take it away, Johnny.

Hi, I'm Johnny Merritt. Thank you for joining me. Today I will be teaching you about kinetic leadership. So let's get down to business. First, let me define for you what I mean by the terms kinetic leadership. I'm a 30 year attorney. When I was a young attorney, my mentor taught me that the art of attorneys is language. He taught me to choose my words carefully and that is what I've done here. So why do I choose the term kinetic? I do so because of its precise meaning. The term kinetic is an adjective that means the motion of material bodies and the forces and energy associated therewith. In other words, the term kinetic describes an action that creates expansive motion beyond its initial source, which causes increasing force and energy. So what does the term kinetic have to do with leadership? Don't you believe the best form of leadership is the type that creates motivation and energy for those around the leader? A leader whose sincere desire is to promote for those around them the same type of motivation and leadership to others in the same fashion? In other words, aren't the best leadership skills those that create motivation and energy beyond those people in immediate contact with the leader and extend broadly beyond that group? In fact, that is precisely the type of leadership skills I wish to discuss. It is the type of leadership skills through which leaders empower and cause those around them to maximize their own leadership skills to empower others. The result is a system through which leaders train others to be leaders, who train others to be leaders, and so on. Here are the traits I have seen and others I believe exhibit kinetic leadership. Number one, they are bold. Two, they are empowering. Three, they are themselves. Number four, they are reliable. And five, they are servants. I will introduce five people who exhibit these traits. You will hear that each of these individuals is much different from the others. But you will also see a common thread for each of these individuals. Individuals, in their distinctive ways, greatly encourage and help those around them. Number one, bold. One of my clients is a business person who began his career working at his father's gas station. His primary education was filling gas tanks and fixing flat tires. Today, Glenn Black has a successful farming and ranching operation in two states. He is also very involved in both the development and transmission of renewable energy. I love to watch and listen to Glenn as he interacts with politicians, engineers, accountants, attorneys and other professional discussing very complex business and legal issues. And he does this while wearing jeans, cowboy boots and typically a dirty work cap. When Glenn initially enters a room of strangers, he's not the person most seek to impress. But once the meeting begins in earnest, Glenn is most often the person whose soft spoken opinion becomes most important. You see, Glenn is a bold businessperson, starting with pumping gas and fixing tires. Glenn was not shy about seeking opportunities and then seizing them. He had the courage to see his potential and work. To that potential, novelist H.G. wells stated, the only true measure of success is a ratio between what might have been and what we have become. Glenn Black was bold enough to think about what he could become and then he did it. But Glenn does not work alone. As he has moved into new endeavors, he has taken both old friends and new friends with him. He works hard not only for himself, but also for many who are lucky to know him. How about you? Are you like Glenn Black and want to share your success based on a mentality of generosity? Or do you want to hoard your success because of a mentality of scarcity? One trait of kinetic leadership is to be bold like Glenn Black and share that boldness with others. 2. Empower Would you believe me if I told you about a man who lives in a small town in Texas who started and now leads a risk consulting firm whose clients include all national National League football teams, all Major League Baseball teams, and many in the entertainment industry? And would you continue to believe me if I told you that this man's business was heavily involved in the construction of seven of the last eight National League Football and Major League Baseball stadiums? Alex Fairley left his job at a service business in Amarillo when it sold. A good friend who worked in the insurance business suggested that Alex become an insurance agent. As Alex learned about the insurance industry, he became convinced that he could provide improved products and services to his clients. He then began to seek introductions to executives with Major League Baseball teams. Alex now fondly tells the story of one of his initial meetings with an executive with a Major League Baseball team. The entire meeting went something like how Alex, were you able to schedule this meeting? Please leave. Alex finally secured business with one Major League team and by working with his team and thinking outside the box, they achieved a great product for that team while saving the team a bunch of money and the News of his success in the industry spread quickly. Certainly, Alex's success is a result of great talent, skills and business acumen. But the trait that impresses me the most is his ability to empower those who work with him. In a recent meeting, I asked him to identify his favorite books. He listed two for me. Both books promote teamwork. So Alex's success is based in large part on his ability to empower those who work with him. How do you treat those who work with you? How do you work with your peers? How do you work with subordinates? Are you more attentive to your superiors? And do you help your peers succeed because it is the right thing to do for both your peers and the business? Or do you hope your peers fail so you can look better? A second trait of kinetic leadership is to empower people like Alex Fairley. Three yourself. Perhaps you've seen the TV show or read the book Friday Night Lights. They are originally Based on the 1988 Permian High School Panthers football team from Odessa, Texas, as they made a run toward the Texas state championship in Odessa. Football is important, and if you are a Panther, you are royalty in the community. Kevin Lane grew up in Odessa. Kevin was what all young men want to be. He had the physical build of a linebacker, the face of a movie star, hair that was never out of place, and incredible athletic ability. For Kevin could have been the king of kings at Ohadassa High School. Kevin liked playing football, but Kevin loved to sing. He loved choir, but give me a break playing football for the Panthers or performing in the high school choir. Kevin was confident in who he was and what he liked. To the great disappointment of many in Odessa, Kevin left the football program and focused on choir. I'm sad to say we lost Kevin to cancer several years ago. But before his departure, Kevin became one of the most respected choir directors in the state of Texas. Those of us who got to call Kevin a friend were encouraged by his example of being exactly who he was. He gave those around him the confidence to be exactly who they were designed to be as well. How does this work for you? Are you confident in who you are? Or do you wish you could be like someone else? So your likes and dislikes are different than the crowd. So what they are your likes and dislikes. A third trait of kinetic leadership is to be yourself, like Kevin Lane, and to encourage those around you to be themselves. Number four, reliable. You know, that person who never seems to lose his or her pool. That person whose responsibilities are great but who seems to have the time for both the highest executive and the homeless person. That person you can go to and say anything without fear that they will think less of you. And that person who has the courage to be honest with you, even if that honesty may hurt. In other words, that person who is always reliable, regardless of the noise going on all around you. That person for me is Mike McDeerman. I've known Mike for in excess of 20 years. Through that time, I have learned I can always count on Mike because he is reliable. But you know what? Mike shares these traits not only with me, but with every friend he has. Mike is simply the type of person that everyone wants as a best friend. How about you? Are you a Mike to someone? Or even better yet, are you Mike to everyone you know? A fourth trait of kinetic leadership is to be reliable. Like Mike McDierman. 5 Servant One of the clients I represent is a $1.5 billion warehouse that ships groceries to retail stores in nine states. One of those who works at that business is Cindy Craig. Cindy is not an executive, an officer, or the head of a department. For Cindy is the personal assistant to the chief executive officer of my client. What I love most about working with Cindy is her sincere willingness to chip in and help. I can honestly not recall one time over the last 20 years when Cindy has refused to lend a helping hand to anyone. Never once have I heard her say, this is not within my job description or I only work for the CEO of this company. Everyone I know who knows Cindy loves Cindy. I think a large part of the reason why Cindy is loved is because of her servant heart. Are you a servant to those around you? Or are you only a servant to the people you believe are important and are some jobs beneath you? A fifth trait of kinetic leadership is to be a servant like Cindy Craig. So the five traits of kinetic leadership I identify for you today are being bold, being empowering, being yourself, being reliable, and being a servant. Without question, this is not an exclusive list. I'm certain most of you can think of many other traits you believe should be included in this list. And I encourage you to think about those around you who you believe are kinetic leaders. Write down the names of those people and the traits you believe believe, make them kinetic leaders, and then do them a great favor and tell them what you have done. In closing, let me be clear on how I define a person who is a kinetic leader. I don't just look for the five traits I identify. I don't look for a person with an oppressive job title. I don't look for a person who looks like they have a large bank account. I don't look for the person who always seems to have the answer in every discussion, and I don't look for the person who is personally confident that they are the leader. On the contrary, I look for people who are bold enough, confident enough, and reliable enough to act as a servant to empower those around them. By doing this, those around them become leaders who use the same traits to create other leaders. As this happens repeatedly, the leader creates momentum that continues to expand. Thank you for listening and I encourage you to use your unique skills like Glenn, Alex, Kevin, Mike and Cindy to be a kinetic leader to those around you. Good luck.

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What a powerful lesson by Johnny Merritt. There's a lot that was shared, so feel free to rewind and listen to it again. Great leadership is hard to ignore. I remember back in my teaching days, the principal of our school was actually a really I may have not agreed with everything he did, but I have to say he really knew how to motivate the team. And one of the things he did that was really effective. It's a little thing, but it's effective because he does this consistently and that is using praise to motivate your team. So people are more likely to want to do things for you if they feel appreciated, if they feel like you recognize their hard work. A lot of us, we don't take a moment to stop and say, hey, you're doing a great job. Hey, I really appreciate what you're doing. Well done here, well done there. You got to do do this periodically as a leader with everybody on your team. It takes a few seconds, but it does wonders for morale and it really gets people motivated to do more. It's very demotivating when you don't feel valued or recognized. Thank you so much for listening to the Hundred Dollar MBA Show. If you love what you hear, hit subscribe right now. And whatever app you use to listen to podcasts, we're on Spotify, we're on Stitcher Radio on Himalaya. Go ahead and check it out. By subscribing, you get our next episode automatically. You also get access to over 1600 episodes in our archives. It's absolutely free, so hit subscribe right now. Also, if you're struggling with how to get started with your business, head on over to our website 100mba.net. We just released a new thing called the Breakout Business Roadmap. It's absolutely free and it's a short guide showing you step by step what you need to do to get your business off the ground. You can download that over at 100-mba.net. before I go, I want to leave you with this One of the hardest things about being a leader is you have to be conscious of the fact that you are the leader, that you have to always understand that people are expecting leadership. You have to lead. You can't just not do it. So if you naturally aren't someone that just has to lead, that you're just a type A personality, then you should remind yourself, even if it's just putting it in the calendar. Have I checked in with my team? Have I motivated them? Did I praise them? Did I do the things I need to do to give them direction and focus and allow them to see our vision? There's nothing wrong with reminding yourself so you can continue to be a great leader. Thanks so much for listening and I'll check you in tomorrow's episode. I'll see you then. Take care.

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