I’ve read close to two thousand books since I started my business career. I’ve been asked, “What book have you gifted the most?” While I’ve given away many books I like, the title I’ve given away the most is Executive Toughness by Dr. Jason Selk, who is also a gifted public speaker. Not only have I applied his principles on executive toughness, but every beneficiary of this book also says the same thing, “I love this book.”
Big Ideas From The Episode
- On being prepared – Jason’s first encounter with Tony LaRussa
- The MLB players who asked, “Can you give us ten more minutes?”
- The reason the host of CFO Bookshelf gives Executive Toughness to CEOs
- Not product goals vs. process goals – product goals and process goals
- How a podcast host lost 50 pounds using executive toughness rules
- The rule of three and three
- The a-ha moment of what executive toughness is
- Mark’s other name for his second-favorite tool in Jason’s book–the daily debrief and a shoutout to Bryce Hoffman and his post-mortems in Red Teaming
- Pairing the debrief with a brief, as in, “We execute the brief,” according to fighter pilot James Murphy
- The three big questions of the daily debrief
- The reason busy CEOs skip written daily debriefs – it’s the B-word
- Mark’s other term for relentless solution focus and force field analysis
- Executive toughness is not what we think it is
Three Great Quotes
When it comes to mental toughness, I learned from the master. While attending college at UCLA, I played on three of Coach John Wooden’s national championship basketball teams. He taught us perspective. Perspective to understand that a person’s worth isn’t decided by wins and losses but rather the effort they put into their preparation.
Andy Hill in the Forward of Executive Toughness by Jason Selk
In almost all cases, participants agree the best method would be to focus on the process of what produces the end goal rather than the end goal itself.
Chapter 3, Executive Toughness
The link between optimism and success comes down to expectancy theory: that which you focus on expands. Expectancy theory has proven over and over again that when people focus on problems, their problems actually grow and reproduce.
Chapter 8, Executive Toughness
Books Mentioned
- Flawless Execution by James Murphy
- Ten Minute Toughness by Jason Selk
- American Icon by Bryce Hoffman
- Red Teaming by Bryce Hoffman
- Principle-Centered Leadership by Stephen Covey
Episode Pairings
If you liked this episode, consider the following shows that complement this one about executive toughness:
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