Own Your Work Journey With Ed Hess

One of my favorite business authors has just released his 15th book. The title is Own Your Work Journey by Ed Hess. Fans of Ed Hess will be treated to a mini-memoir in the introduction of the book, and we spend the first ten minutes of this conversation talking about some of the influential mentors in Ed’s life who saw something special in him at a young age. Other topics include a quiet ego, emergent thinking, and inner peace.

Episode Highlights

• The Introduction blew away the host – that coach deserves to be in a ring of honor.
• The quiet ego vs. the big ego.
• Humility has nothing to do with being soft – think wild stallion.
• Inner peace with an open mind.
• Emergent thinking.
• A book for anyone 16 years and older (Mark’s additional opinion … 1) graduating seniors and those in the next generation of a family-owned business).
• The 57-page story of Ray Dalio in running his hedge fun in Learn or Die.
• Ed’s next book is …

All learning comes from conversations with yourself (deep reflection) or with others.

Ed Hess – Own Your Own Journey

This is the second part of an extended interview with Ed Hess. The first part was entitled, The Myth of Wall Street Growth. As David Letterman would say, my very special guest needs no introduction. However, you can find his extended biography on that show notes page.

Worth Quoting

I always have a book journal nearby when I’m reading a book by Ed Hess. I even do so for Smart Growth, a title I read annually.

I’m keeping this section short as I share some of my favorite lines in this meaningful book.

I won’t give away the great nuggets in the mini-memoir at the beginning of Own Your Work Journey. However, this line is special because a football coach saw something special in a young person going through difficult times. Here’s what Ed had to say about that experience:

“I want you to come to my house every school day at 7:30 am, and I will take you to school with me.” So, for the next five years, I rode to school sitting shotgun next to the best football coach in Western Georgia. You can’t imagine how much his friendship and generosity positively impacted the rest of the community’s treatment of me and my family.

Ed Hess – Own Your Own Journey

On the importance of reading books …

Books enabled my dreams. Books were how I learned possibilities — there are lots of different ways to be successful and happy. Reading was how I learned to love learning and exploring.

Ed Hess – Own Your Own Journey

One of my favorite sections in the book was the discussion on the Quiet Ego, which we talked about on the podcast. I enjoyed going over this list of humility attributes that Ed referenced from psychologist June Price Tangey:

1. Having an accurate (not over or underestimated) view of one’s abilities and achievements.
2. Being able to acknowledge one’s mistakes, imperfections, gaps in knowledge, and limitations.
3. Being open to new ideas, contradictory information, and advice.
4. Keeping one’s abilities and accomplishments in perspective.
5. Having a low focus on self or a tendency to “forget the self.”
6. Appreciating the value of all things and the many ways other people and things contribute to the world.

Ed goes on to state that the number one behavior everyone needed to improve was humility based on a behavioral diagnostic given to military leaders.

Here are some other lines I’ve captured in one of my reading journals –

• Our brains are not wired to be Hyper-Learners: to learn, unlearn, and relearn at the speed of change.
• We all generally seek to confirm, affirm, and maintain our stories of how our world works.
• An adult brain matures around age 25. But it can keep learning after that. It has plasticity. It can change.
• My psychology mentor, Dr. Lyle Bourne, Jr., taught me, “All learning comes from conversations with yourself (deep reflection) or others.” That is reflective listening.
• I have asked hundreds of executives the “How do you think” question, and only one person has ever given me an answer that made sense. Yes, only one.
• There are different types of thinking. For example: Critical Thinking, Creative Thinking, Innovative Thinking, Moral Thinking, and Emergent Thinking.
• Critical thinking is all about testing your beliefs and ideas.
• Respect the human dignity of every person.

Finally, the table on the OLD SMART v. NEW SMART at location 761 of the Kindle version is excellent.

Books Recommended

1. Impromptu by Reid Hoffman
2. Scary Smart by Mo Gawdat
3. Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey

Episode Pairings