Episode 295: Do you know which 5 should be closest to you?

This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, please tell me who you are and what you do.

My name is E.A. Solkowitz, and we teach something at Givers University that simply is not taught anywhere else. We teach how to discern in relationships, how to separate the person who we love from their deeds, which we may not love. And by observing the deeds, specific actual deeds, begin to discern who should I pull closer into my life and who should I begin respectfully distancing myself because they're about ready to make me collateral damage and situations that are not of my making. So we teach discernment in relationships.

Well, EA, it's an absolute pleasure to have you on the show, and I can't wait to hear all of your insight you're going to share with us. Question number 2: What is something that makes you smile and/or laugh about working in your industry?

I would say the thing that makes me smile the most is when someone hears the story of how I met my mentor. Uh, he became the father I never had, even though I had a father, and I became the son he never had, even though he had a son. How how he influenced my life, how he impacted my life, and how even today I'm fulfilling a vow I made to him at the ripe old age of 19 years old. So I love it when someone hears that story and then they realize the importance of having a mentor and they begin to then seek out having a great mentor in their life.

Oh, I love it. And I can hear the passion in your voice about that. It's absolutely fantastic, the impact that you're having. Question number 3, I have a fictitious book With All the Answers for Business. What chapter would you think most companies should read?

Well, once I got past the fine cover artwork there, I would think I would go with chapter that would be entitled Which Five? Because it has to do with the gentleman in an interview I had recently where he said, wow, I love what you do, but, you know, I just read a book that says surround yourself with 5 good people. And I asked him a simple question. I said, You're absolutely right, but which 5? And all of a sudden there was a blank look on his face. So I would teach people and I would say, read the chapter that teaches you to find out which 5 and how to select those 5 that you should have closest to you.

My goodness, I think that would be a best-selling book by itself as opposed to just a chapter. So great, great suggestion. Question number 4: other than the generic work harder, have a great attitude, and care for customers, What advice or insight would you give to other business leaders?

First, I would say that focus on the questions, not the answers. My business mentor taught me the answers are always there. They're always there. What happens is we ask the wrong questions. So as you in your business career, family, or socially, focus on asking the right questions and you'll always get the right answer. So focus on the question, not the answer. And the second part of that answer would be to repeat the 3 things that my business mentor taught me to say over and over again, and that was, "I will never give up. I will keep rising up, and I will always overcome." Oh, very powerful, all 3 of those.

And I like that, like also what you're talking about, focus on the questions, not the answers. Can you give a quick example of one for us so that the listeners could really resonate with?

Sure. As an example, by asking the wrong questions and the wrong— one of the right questions I asked inadvertently at 16 years old, I asked, "Where's my mentor?" Because I could. And then what happened was 2 or 3 months later, I actually met him because I asked the right question. I threw it out there. By contrast, if I would have said, "You know what? I'm never meeting the right people in my life and I'm never going to make it. I don't know why I'm never going to make it." The question, "I don't know why I'm never going to make it," I even have to rewire that in my own head right now when I said it because I don't believe that, right? So, So by asking the right question, our lives become self-fulfilling prophecies because the answers appear to us. So think about the questions and the right kind of questions, and you'll have the right kind of answers.

I love it. Thank you for that clarification. It makes so much sense. It's, it's, it's really insightful. Question number 5: What other business leader like yourself would you like to acknowledge and invite to be on my podcast?

I would really recommend Alex Sanfilippo, who actually runs PodMatch. And I can share with you, first of all, that's how you and I met, but I think they have a great platform. And he did something that really caught my eye, which is why I'm mentioning him. He sent out his calendar link, his Calendly link, in an email to everyone that are members. And he said, tell me what you don't like about us. Tell me what you do like about us. If you have ideas, here's my calendar. 'Book a time to talk to me.' And I thought, you know, that is such a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of the people that— because everyone's all, you know, 'More business, more business,' but how about the business you have? And I thought, what a great way then to just put your calendar out there and say, 'Tell me what you like, don't like, or any ideas you have. Book a calendar link with me. Let's— I want to hear it.' And I thought, man, that was great. So I'd recommend I think he'd be a great guest and also connecting pod guests with hosts and what a great platform to do it. It's how you and I met.

That's absolutely, and Alex is a great guy. I've sat in on some of his webinars and I always learn something new. So he's giving great value. So I love that suggestion and I'll reach out to him. I look forward to, I think he'll probably accept because he's a big fan of podcasting.

Yes, yes. And he actually asked me to participate in a speaking event he has coming up on The Art of Telling a Good Story and how to do that. So I'm very blessed to be able to be participating in that upcoming event on PodMatch as well.

Oh, great. I look forward to that, being on that one. And our final question, question number 6, please tell me about your first job.

Well, the first one of consequence was that of a janitor at the ripe old age of 16. Now, uh, Professor Pete, I didn't mind being a janitor because Well, business was always picking up. What? Anyway, so at 16 years old, I had 2 events in my life that changed my life while I was a janitor. One, if you ever saw the movie "The Founder" with Michael Keaton about McDonald's and Ray Kroc, he talks to a secretary outside of his office all the time, June this, June that, June that. That lady is June Martino, whose house I cleaned every single Wednesday when I was a janitor at 16 years old. That actual lady, June Martino. And I tell the detailed story, and it's actually quite phenomenal, on how she opened my eyes into having a mentor, because hers was Ray, Ray Kroc. And then subsequently, how being a janitor, I actually— that led to me meeting my mentor that changed the trajectory of my life forever. So, at the age of 16, as a janitor, I had two of my most significant things happen in my life, both huge blessings. Wow, what a great story.

I absolutely love hearing that. Obviously, you know, as we were talking about in the last question about being on the storytelling webinar coming up, you could see that you definitely have the talent for that. But also the, you know, the small world of being able to have been, you know, the, you know, the person who cleaned this lady's house. I mean, it's just It's perfect. So it's a really great, great story to have. And yeah, I really appreciate you for being on the show. And how could people find you?

They would go to givers— plural— giversuniversity.com and sign up for our free email. It's absolutely free. We're not spammers. They'll get one email a week from us with great new nuggets of information once a week on Thursday, usually. And they'll get some great downloads, including the checklists of deeds to actually look for that will help them discern in their relationships. They, we want them to download it and use it every day. It's a great thing. And, uh, Professor Pete, thank you for having me on your great podcast.

Well, it's been my pleasure. And this is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. Get hundreds of amazing business insights from previous guest episodes on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening.