Unpacked with Ron Harvey
People Always Matter. Join Ron as he unpacks leadership with his guests.
Unpacked with Ron Harvey
The Figure It Out Mindset: How One Leader Overcame Multiple Lawsuits and Built a Successful Tech Company with Derrick Girard
Derek Girard shares his journey from military kid to tech entrepreneur, highlighting the power of the "Figure It Out" mindset that helped him overcome three simultaneous lawsuits while building a successful tech company with no technical background.
• Growing up as an army brat, moving frequently created resilience and problem-solving skills
• Built a technology company despite having no tech background to solve an industry-wide problem
• Faced a perfect storm of challenges: business partner dispute, investor conflict, and competitor lawsuit
• Developed and applied the "Figure It Out" mindset to navigate complex legal battles
• Won all three lawsuits over a seven-year period before successfully selling his company in 2023
• Leadership philosophy: "Don't be the boss, be the example"
• Approaches feedback by asking questions rather than making statements
• Believes success should be defined internally rather than by external validation
• Uses "So what? Now what?" to move past complaints and focus on solutions
• Teaches the difference between self-confidence and self-awareness
You can find Derek's book "Put to the Test" on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, or through his website at Derrick Girard: Inspiring Public Speaker.
Connect with Ron
Just Make A Difference: Leading Under Pressure by Ron Harvey
“If you don’t have something to measure your growth, you won’t be self-aware or intentional about your growth.”
Learn more about Global Core Strategies
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Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. The information provided in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Listeners should consult with their own professional advisors before implementing any suggestions or recommendations made in this podcast. The speakers and guests are not responsible for any actions taken by listeners based on the information presented in this podcast. The podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or services. The speakers and guests make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this ...
Welcome to Unpacked Podcast with your host leadership consultant, ron Harvey of GlobalCore Strategies and Consulting. Ron believes that leadership is the fundamental driver towards making a difference. So now to find out more of what it means to unpack leadership, here's your host, ron Harvey.
Speaker 2:Good morning everyone. This is Ron Harvey, the Vice President, chief Operating Officer for Global Course Strategies and Consulting. We're a leadership firm. We're based out of Columbia, south Carolina, and our whole role for the company itself is how do we help leaders be better equipped to lead the workforce of tomorrow? And that's through trust and communication and empowering, and the list goes on. But we do know that you know leadership has changed, workforce has changed and everything around us has changed. We do know that you know leadership has changed, workforce has changed and everything around us has changed. What is it that we do as leaders to make sure that we have the next version of what it takes for us to be successful in today's world ever changing, and not where my parents led at Totally different? That command and control is over. You can try it if you want to go for it, but it's over. And so helping leaders understand what's the new way of leading. But what do you need to know? But we pause every single time.
Speaker 2:We record podcasts and we begin to bring guests off from around the world with all different backgrounds, and so today our podcast is really going to be. You know, derek is going to share some stuff. I'll give him a chance. You know, when we come in, I'm going to hand him the microphone as I always do, I guess and let him introduce himself and what he wants you to know about him as I always do it, I guess. And let him introduce himself and what he wants you to know about him, and then we'll drive it, we'll dive into some content. So, derek, I'm going to pass it over to you, man, and let you introduce yourself where you are. Whatever you want to share with us, I'm totally OK with that and the audience loves it.
Speaker 3:So whatever you want to share, Well, first of all, thank so, thank you for the opportunity. Well, a little bit about myself. I'll sort of start from the beginning, because I think from the very beginning it sort of lays the foundation for why Derek is the way he is. As my wife always says, why are you wired the way you're wired? So I'm an army brat. I grew up an army brat all over the world, spent six years in the Air Force myself, and when I got into the professional industry, I got into the financial services industry Long, crazy, interesting, winding career in that space. But ultimately I found myself in a position where I had a problem that nobody else had solved yet and I knew this problem was faced by everybody in the industry. And so I don't excuses, don't solve problems in my mind, they're just not an option. And so I set out to build a technology company with absolutely no background in technology, and it was crazy. It was a difficult thing to do, is challenging, start, but ultimately we started getting some success, and not only some success like working with the top financial services firms in the country. Success and right. When that started happening, that's when everything fell apart. That's when dispute with my business partner, who happened to be my uncle happened. That's when dispute with an investor and that's when a surprise lawsuit was dropped on my lap from a competitor, all at the same time. So I found myself in a position, right when things started going well, that I was sitting there with two federal lawsuits and a state lawsuit on my hands and it was just me and I had to figure it out. And so I use this term, the FIO mindset. I've said it since I was younger, but it's, it's. I really believe in this mindset, this figure it out mindset, and that's what I had to do. So I couldn't, I couldn't crush the company, I couldn't fold the company, I wasn't going to let that happen. And I fought and fought and fought and managed you know my family and my, my business and the lawsuits and growing and ultimately, at the end of the day, I won all three of the lawsuits. One of them went to trial in federal court, which was an interesting experience. And after all that was said and done, six and a half, seven years later, I sold the company at the end of 2023.
Speaker 3:And the crazy thing was I kept getting asked the question. Everybody would ask me Derek, how in the world did you do that? How in the world did you not have a background in tech and you did this? You didn't have a sales team. How did you do this? How is that possible? And I wanted to write this book put to the test, because I wanted to be able to answer the question for people and make sure they understand that there isn't a single thing about me that's special. There isn't a thing about me that's unique. Because I think a lot of times people think like I've been to conferences and I've seen that guy with no legs talk about how he climbed to the top of Mount Everest and you're like that's amazing, I can't relate. And I want people to hear in my story and what I've been through that it's 100% relatable. There's nothing unique about it, I just figured it out.
Speaker 2:I love it. I love it. So you gave us a lot to unpack and I'm excited. I know the audience would be really excited. You know you have the book and so we'll dive in a little bit. But as we go through, I love to promote when people have something out there that helps people and so put to the test. You know you wrote it because you found yourself in a situation you kept getting asked the question how did you do it? How did you do it? And you finally put it out there, put to the test First, where do people find the book? And then, if you could share a little bit about what do you want people to walk away from that? Looking at entrepreneurs or business owners or CEOs or team leaders or new leader, what's in it for people with a very, very wide net, if you will? What do they get out of it? Or do you hope they get out of reading your book?
Speaker 3:Well, you can find it. Basically, in most places you can find books. Normally, people buy it on Amazon or Barnes, noble, walmart, places like that. You can find the book there. So in most channels somebody might find their books. Normally it's available there, which is fantastic and, ultimately, what I want to get out of it.
Speaker 3:I got a text message this last weekend actually, from a gentleman that read the book or was reading the book, and he said I'm going through some challenges right now and everything you're saying is really resonating with me, because one of the things I talked about in the book is I try to have people think about a challenge they're facing not a crisis, right, it's not about a midlife crisis, because that's more of an identity thing and so think about a challenge you're facing, whether it's personal or professional, and to me, the figure it out mindset and that's what I always call it it's not a checklist, it's not like step one, step two, step three. It's not a checklist, it's a mindset, and so a lot of it has to do with are you being honest with yourself? Right, are you? Are you actually being honest with yourself? Did you really try everything and really give it your all and again, personally or professionally. You know I talked in there about my examples of where I use self-confidence as a replacement for self-awareness. That's a terrible replacement for self-awareness. You will get yourself in so much trouble, like I did when I use self-confidence as a replacement for self-awareness.
Speaker 3:So, realistically and really, what I want people to take away from the book is if you read through it and you read the different chapters and you read the different things that I talk about and the examples I give personally and professionally from my life and others it's. Am I doing this right? Am I really approaching the mindset the correct way or am I giving up too quick? Am I blaming other people too quick? You know how am I approaching this?
Speaker 2:Wow, I love it. I mean, you talk about the book and you ask how you've been honest with yourself. At what point, when you were walking through the lawsuit, showing up dealing with a family member that you're in business with you know federal and state, you know in the business you still got to run it? At what point did you really settle down and realize you had to figure it out? What happened that made you realize you're not going to throw it in. You got a family to support, because that's reality for people that are listening to this show. When did it click that you got to dig in and you got to make it work?
Speaker 3:Well, I think it's sort of interesting as I think back to it, because the first lawsuit was I was dealing with the investor and then my uncle. Those weren't lawsuits yet, they were just sort of disputes. And then I wake up one day and the first lawsuit was this competitor who hit us with a patent infringement lawsuit that came out of nowhere. So when that first hit, my first response, like most people, is like oh my goodness, what do I do? How in the world do I get myself out of this? I don't want to deal with lawyers. The first thing you want to do is run as far away as you can. But then what happened next was really interesting, because my uncle's attorney and then this investor both filed a lawsuit almost immediately after, and it was clear to me that they were thinking let's put maximum pressure on Derek because there's no way he can do this Right. It was almost like nobody's going to deal with three lawsuits on their own. There's just no way. So let's push him as hard as we can.
Speaker 3:And that was really when I dug my heels and I'm like no right is right, wrong is wrong. This is 100% wrong. I am not going to be pushed around, and so from that point on, like I tell a lot of times, I talk to people, I explain to them. From that point on I became basically a law student. I needed to know everything about what was going on, so there were no surprises to me and I just dug in my heels and went right is right, wrong is wrong. I'm not going to let this happen. And if I got to go down swinging, because this is what I firmly believe in, that's what I'm going to do. And I listened to the advice of the attorneys as we were going along and I really understood it myself and so I felt confident during the process that I was three and a half years, I was doing what I felt was right and I was comfortable with that.
Speaker 2:What did you learn there, derek, that you still use today? So I know you have the book and you put things in the book. What did you learn about you? Because I truly believe leaders get evaluated in the worst times, not the best times. I think the best time you show up when your back is against the wall and you don't have any. What did you learn about you from a leadership perspective? People that are listening, where you know, people are challenged. Today, as we're having this recording, people are challenged with everyday life things, businesses, lawsuits, you know, whatever you may want to call it. What did you find out about you that gave you the desire to keep going forward?
Speaker 3:Well, the first thing I found out I learned a lot in failure, and I think failure is fantastic. I think for a lot of people, when you fail or you struggle, it can crush some people morally and again their confidence. That's where that self-confidence being replaced with your self-awareness. And so I had failures earlier on in my career, different things that I tried doing, and I never viewed them as failure really. They were just tremendous learning opportunities.
Speaker 3:And so, for me, one of the things that I took into building this tech company was this idea of don't be the boss, be the example. And so I didn't want to walk around and say I'm the boss, and here's why you should listen to me. Because I'm the boss, because I have a fancy title that doesn't work. People don't respect that the boss. Because I have a fancy title that doesn't work, people don't respect that.
Speaker 3:And so, for me, I was willing to do everything. I asked my staff to do everything. I asked my team to do. If we had to work on the weekends, I was the one working. If support needed more help, I was the one taking phone calls. If we needed to go present to somebody, I was the one doing it, and so everybody knew that it wasn't just Derek telling us what to do and Derek making us do things. He was going to do every single thing with us, and to me that made a difference, because when I needed to call on somebody to do something or to take an extra step, they always would do it because they knew I would. And so that, to me, was a big thing, and I think it's a really important key for leaders, especially as you become a leader early in your career or your first time leadership. Don't let your title fool you. Right? Don't be the boss. Be the example, like literally set the example you want the team to follow. And then the other thing is excuses don't solve problems.
Speaker 2:Right, you said it earlier. I love that. Can you unpack for us, though, derek? I mean because you know when you think about you know, be the don't be the boss. Be the example where you would step in and you fill in there. There's another side of that that I would love for you to unpack. You're doing it because you need it. There's another side of that that I would love for you to unpack. You're doing it because you need it, they need to help, and you want to make sure that it's all you're doing it.
Speaker 2:How do you speak to the leader that's doing it? Because they don't believe that the person that really should be doing it is going to do a good job, or they're too far in and they got to do everything, they got to be attached to it all. They don't know how to get out of the way, basically when you're an ego. But then there's the other side of the coin, where some of these leaders that are listening don't know how to get out of the way and they feel like they're the one that has to do it, because they do it the best. They don't delegate, they don't empower well enough, so they keep getting in the way. How do you separate that distinction for people that are listening?
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, I think a lot of it comes down to your ego one and your training right, your mindset for training. And so for me, I'll give you an example of support my staff knew from a tech support. You know people would call in and they would be frustrated from time to time, and they always knew if somebody got really frustrated. Here's how you handle that Cause we went through the training and I led all the training. But if you can't handle that and if you get to the point where you feel like you know they're just being abusive and they're just being rude, you get me on the phone immediately, because I take that, you don't take that Somebody's going to yell, they're going to yell at me. But the other thing that I did was I always told my staff you need to be on the phone with us, so anytime I step in, you're there with me and I'm on your side. And so every single time, the things that they heard was I was never going to throw them under the bus, I was never going to talk down, I was never going to say they got it wrong. It was just asking a lot of questions to uncover where we're going and what we've already done. We guide, the answer and the solution almost always user error, which was always funny. And then we just debriefed, and that was the other part of it. The debrief was really, really important. So when we were done doing that, I was done stepping in on their behalf, we would sit down and have a conversation about that.
Speaker 3:Let's talk about that. What did you pick up from what I did? How did that, you know, relate to what you did? Do you want to listen to the recording of the phone call of yours? And so every bit of it was just a massive learning opportunity and it wasn't about me. And so one of the things that I used to tell people all the time is when you bring me in, you may have to tell them it's me. You can make up a name. I don't have to be Derek, I can be John Doe, and I will never tell them my name, so they don't think that my title matters. I will just be anybody, just there to help you. I don't care if it's me, I don't care if people see me or know it's me at all. It's about doing it right and helping.
Speaker 2:Wow, I love it and, for those of you listening, I think that it works with them. I want to go back and unpack this. Figure it out, mindset. What are the characteristics of that? So, when you think of it, I mean I think I've heard it, but I don't think I've heard someone put it like here's literally what I had to do, wrong. Yeah, can you unpack?
Speaker 3:that a little bit to help us understand what is the FIO, the figured out mindset. You know, I have the book here. I'll read through a couple, just sort of the chapters, right. One it's sort of look inside yourself, right? One of the things that I think is really important is how people define success, and I think a lot of people define success externally right, it's what other people see, it's what other people think. One you have to look inside yourself. I think that's by far the most important thing, and in the social media world we're in today, that's really difficult. So are you allowing somebody else to dictate what your version of success is externally, or are you doing it internally for yourself? And so that, to me, I think, is a big part of this. Again, this is why it's a process, not a checklist Self-awareness, see things in black and white.
Speaker 3:One of the things that I stress all the time is get out of the gray, get absolutely out of the gray. So many people want to live in the gray, of the kind of sort of maybe it's either yes or no and that's it. And so did you do what you set out to do or did you not? And what did you learn from that and so I think so many people set goals or set things they want to accomplish and they're okay with getting sort of there and in my mind, sort of doesn't work. It's either yes or it's no. I think not taking no for an answer is important.
Speaker 3:I think so many people, especially in a sales role, a no is crushing If you don't get the job you want or you don't get the sale you want. It's crushing. Don't take it like that. For me, it was just every single company that told us no, that told me no, and these were huge companies, came back and became a client of mine and it was because I just I had this professional perseverance where I stayed in touch. I was very professional, very courteous, but I didn't let it go and I didn't give up and I got every single one of them.
Speaker 3:So it's just a lot of little things along the way, I think, mentally, that shape people and one of the things I talk about in the book is how do you teach your kids this mentality? Because I've got two kids I've got a 15 year old and a 12 year old and my goodness, it's amazing they can't. If you leave it up to them, they will never solve a problem in their entire life. They're looking for somebody else to do it for them, and I think there's a lot of times that's a failure in terms of how we lead as parents. Sometimes is we're not teaching kids to you. Figure it out, I bet you you can, and it's amazing what you see when you push kids to that sort of mindset.
Speaker 2:I love it. I mean, how do you, if you're a leader in an organization and your title, your name and your evaluation evaluations on the line, how do you create space for what you said to happen for real, in real time, when the pressures and it's the game winning shot?
Speaker 3:How do you create space as a leader to make it safe enough for people to figure it out? Well, I think one of the and this is my opinion now I think one of the mistakes is trying to solve that at the end. Right, it's like take you sports as an example. If I'm trying to teach you how to handle it, right at the end of the game, that means I failed a long time ago. Right, it's like coach sheshefsky used to always say with duke like I don't coach while they're on the floor playing the game because it's too late. The game's going on, and so for me, if, if I have to wait till that moment to teach how to handle it, I failed, I did it wrong, and so for me, it's all in the preparation that leads up to it.
Speaker 3:And I think, if you were to look at and some of the consulting that I do now with businesses, when you see the results aren't there and you see the leader focus on the result, it just makes me scratch my head. Why are we so focused on the result? Where did it fail? Is it failed a long time before it hit the spreadsheet? And so that, I think, is a big part for a lot of leaders and you get into again, whether you're leading in business or your sports or family. It's like where in the world did I actually fall down? Where did I fail this person? Because it's generally not when the result is desire yeah, I love it.
Speaker 2:Can you unpack that some for us? When you look at it there, I love it. Upstreams, it happens way before it hits the spreadsheet, but most of us, quite honestly, don't ask those questions until we get to the spreadsheet or the end of the game or all of a sudden it all has fell apart. How do you train or how did you get to the place where you start looking upstream, where the logs are getting thrown in the water, versus downstream, where you see it floating by you? By that time it's floating by you. It's too late to stop. You got to get upstream. How did you train yourself to look upstream? Your processes, your training, your development? What do you actually do to get?
Speaker 3:upstream. Well, there's a couple of things. So, first of all, one of the things is again, it comes back to a mentality. I don't see failure as as all encompassing right. I think there's. If you ever heard this saying like one step forward, two steps back, right. That makes it seem like you're going backwards. And, in my opinion, failing failing in any capacity or missing out on something is a step forward, as long as you learn from it, and I think for a lot of people that was.
Speaker 3:For me, the biggest aha moment was when I failed or when I got a no. I was like a bulldog to find out what the no was for. Why did you say no? What about the product was wrong? What about me was wrong? What about the pitch was wrong? What is it that led to the no? And I was so focused on that because I needed to make sure that that log never hit the water again. So I never wanted to hear no for the same reason ever again, and I just was so focused on it and I'd move forward. And then I'd do it again. If somebody said no, I'd focused again and I'd keep moving forward. I never let it be a step backwards.
Speaker 2:Wow, I love it that I don't want to hear no. For the same reason again, when you think about the work that you're doing, that requires a certain degree of receiving feedback that doesn't feel good. How do you get there? Because feedback is needed and even if it's delivered wrong, it's still needed, because I'm sure all the feedback you got didn't feel good and some of it wasn't actually accurate or true, them being too kind about it. But feedback is a challenge with leaders. I either do it or I don't do it. If I do it, I do it well or I do it horrible. I avoid it completely. What advice would you give people that are listening how to do feedback first, as a person that's given it in a way that people it lands well, but how do you? Also the other question I'll ask at the end, but the first question if you're the person giving feedback, how do you give it where it's truthful, it's honest, but it also takes care of the person that's receiving it?
Speaker 3:Well, I think the important thing when it comes to giving feedback or receiving feedback is I heard this so long ago, I've said this a thousand times is this idea that the problem with people that don't have self-awareness is they don't know it right. And so when you're the person giving feedback or the person receiving feedback, it's important to understand the other side of that equation and self-awareness, and it's also important to understand your side of that equation of self-awareness, right. If I come across as a leader who is just completely self-centered and focused on my ego, if I'm the person receiving it, I have to understand the person giving it to me, right, and so that's important, to understand both sides of that. So, for me, I think the biggest thing for me, the biggest advantage for me over the course of my career in leadership, is I will ask 25 questions before I make a statement. I'm so focused and people in all the coaching that I do now is still I'm like all your answers are in your questions. If I just ask really good questions, there's a really good chance the person I'm giving feedback to is going to trip and fall right over the answer before I give it to them.
Speaker 3:Yes, so let's talk through this. Let's talk about how this worked. Do you think we could have done better? If you could go back and do it again, would you do it the same way? Let's talk about how we can improve that. What do you think could be different? I let them answer all those questions and then, at the very end, all I'm doing is summarizing their words to give my feedback. Yes, yes, it makes it so much easier because they're figuring it out for themselves, and the goal is, if you do it that way, most of the time the feedback isn't received harshly because they're realizing it along the way that yep, I probably could have been better. Self-awareness starts to become a little bit more present and, hopefully, the feedback is received better.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I love it and it ties back to FIO figure it out, and you ask questions for them to figure it out, versus giving them the answer. So you help when people develop their their skillset as well and thinking critical thinking. If you do really really well with questions, how do you help someone that that I'm working for me, I report to you and and you give us a feedback that you know may be accurate, but you didn't deliver it well? How do you help me receive feedback that's not delivered well, but how do you help me receive that and do something with it and make it useful? So how?
Speaker 3:do I help the person receiving it. Who doesn't?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so if you're my supervisor and you give it to me, you're just kind of candid and straightforward and it is what it is and it's accurate, but the delivery of it is not really. I kind of go tone deaf because of the way you communicated with me. How do you help me get past that bad way of delivery and still make good use of what you gave me?
Speaker 3:Well, again, I think there's so many pieces to this that what led to this? Right? How has my relationship been with you before? Right? Do you see me as somebody who massages information or somebody that just delivers a straightforward? I'm a fairly straightforward guy when I have to get feedback. That's sort of the military in me, and so I think the other thing, too, is the follow up to that right. So if I'm smart enough as a leader to see that you're not receiving this, well, I can probably tell in your body language, your tone, whatever it might be, that comes from that.
Speaker 3:The first thing I need to do is have a follow-up meeting with you, and if you don't receive it, well, I think the one thing a lot of people who get feedback that they don't want to hear is that they walk away with it and they just stew on it all by themselves. Well, don't Give it some time. Let the emotion of the situation pass, right, because you don't want to make a lot of emotional decisions and have emotional responses. Start thinking clearly and then schedule a follow-up meeting with your leader. Here's what I heard you say.
Speaker 3:Right, can we talk about the feedback you gave me? I want to make sure I heard it correctly. Okay, right, it's seeking to understand without being overly sensitive emotionally. So I think, letting there's the old saying right, the fast response sacrifices accuracy for speed. Right, I don't want to necessarily respond emotionally, I think a lot of people these days do they just, I mean, look at the way our world works today, everyone responds emotionally. Don't slow down, take your time. So, as a leader, hopefully I can sense that, but as somebody receiving that circle back around once the emotion is dissipated a little bit.
Speaker 2:Wow, I love it. Love it On your journey. When you look at it there again and as we talk to business owners, corporate America leaders, people that are entrepreneurs, people that are middle level management, what is the single factor that helped you grow into who you are now? If you had to put it on like you know, having that, you're showing up pretty confident, you're pretty thought-provoking, you're pretty patient and you're methodical and you're thinking what? What if you think of self-awareness for you, when did you develop the ability to to be who you are today? And I know there's work in progress. You have a military background. You went through a lot of stuff that had to sharpen who you are today. What was it that contributed to who you are today?
Speaker 3:Honestly, it's as I think through that question as a whole. Yeah, surprises don't bother me, twists and turns don't bother me. I mean, I went to 12 different schools before I graduated high school and they were never in the same city or they're never even the same state. Sometimes I'm in the same country, and so when you get yanked out of a school and you have to move your stuff across the country, complaining doesn't help. I could sit there and complain that I don't want to move from Alaska to Texas or Texas to Panama. I can complain I still have to pack, right, and we're still leaving on Tuesday, right, it doesn't matter what you do. And so at the end of the day, it's like my, my opinion on the situation may not matter, it's still happening, it's still occurring, I still have to do something about it.
Speaker 3:And so I say to my son all the time so what now, what? I get it. So what Now? What Now, what do you do with it? And so to me, that is sort of the mindset that has led me through a lot of things. Is that so what? I still have to do something about it. Inaction or inactivity is not the answer to this, and it almost never is, and so for me, I think that's just sort of the baseline for me is that's what I learned growing up. That's the same thing I deal with now is whatever comes up, okay, now what? Let's just let's, let's move forward. We're still moving forward one way or the other.
Speaker 2:I love it. You gave the answer to, to where you got the mindset of figure it out, because you're right even if you didn't. I'm're right Even if you didn't, I'm a veteran. So even if you didn't pack, packers will show up and pack for you. Yeah, you just jump in the back seat because that car is leaving.
Speaker 3:And it's interesting because, you know, I have two older sisters I'm the youngest and I'm the only boy, and so it was a lot harder for me. The discipline for me growing up was change is way different than mine, so for them they can't handle it the same way I can. Right, emotionally, it really it impacts them very different than it does me, and we grew up in the same house. We went through the exact same experiences. We had the same things, but they just view it very differently. So anytime there's a disruption it has a very different impact on them and they sort of freeze and they're like what do I do? And they have the emotional response and to me it's like I can't freeze, we're moving forward, let's just do this, and so it's that. That growing up that way really benefited me, but the exact same environment actually impacted them a little bit different, which is interesting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love it. Probably another book too, like you know, as a leader, understanding who's showing up and what are they showing up with, because two, three people, same household, total, same incident happening, total different responses, yep. So what did the title put it to the test? What made that the title for you? Because it fits your life.
Speaker 3:But where did it come from? What made you say? You know there was a lot of different. We worked through a lot of different titles when, when I was writing the book, um, the first title I ever thought was the power of perseverance. Um, and then I wanted, you know, figure it out. And you know there were some that were sort of using the swear words, cut the crap right. You know market very well. Yeah, your excuses, but maybe with a slightly different word on the front end. And really, as we kept, as I kept going through this and I was working with the publishers, it was like this whole book is about getting put to the test and what do you do? And everybody gets put to the test, personally, professionally, doesn't matter, everyone gets put to the test. What do you do? And that was we just landed on that title and I thought you know what I really like it yeah, it's solid, I mean it.
Speaker 2:It literally speaks for itself. It's just a matter of not getting into the pages, um, you know, when you get ready to read. So, and our time remaining, a couple things I want to be able to do with you. Um, you know, tell us where they can find the book at again, and then I'll go into your, your contact information. Then we'll close out. What do you lead with? So I'll give you the last word at the end, like, what do you share with the audience that you haven't shared yet? So where do we find the book? And then tell us how to get in contact with you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so the book, my website, DerekGirardcom. There's links there to find the book on different places, but again, Amazon, Barnes, Noble, Walmart, there, Um, there's a few other places out there, sort of obscure book places like that, um, that you can get the book from, but again all that stuff is on the website or you can just go to those locations and find it. Uh, and again, the the website is just my name, Derek Girardcom.
Speaker 2:Yeah, awesome, awesome. So at the end of the, what would you leave the audience with as we close out? You know everyone. Thank y all for joining us and I'm going to hand the microphone over to Derek and let him close us out and I won't come back because I'm going to let him close us out. Thank you all for joining us. It's been phenomenal. Hope you enjoyed everything we talked about. So, derek, close us out.
Speaker 3:You know I said a lot of things here that hopefully you know, help people and resonate with people and got people interested in the book and what I had to say and what I had to say.
Speaker 3:One of the things that was said to me many years ago and it didn't really resonate with me until I went through this journey is this guy said to me the difference between the person you are today is the people you meet, or the person you are today and the person you are in the future is the people you meet and the books you read.
Speaker 3:And that just absolutely made such an impact to me as I kept thinking through that statement. And my hope is for the people that I have the ability to meet and the people that I've met over the years that I can somehow that that's something that they find was worthwhile than meeting and having those interactions and discussions. And my hope is for people that choose to read the book that the book actually has the same impact, and so I love hearing from people that they love what I'm talking about in the book, and it's not just about me, it's not about my journey. There's a lot of examples in there, so I'm hoping that the book can also make an impact for those people that choose to read. That and to me that statement holds true for the books I've read, the people I've met.
Speaker 2:Awesome, good closing. Everyone, have a great one. We will catch you on the next podcast.
Speaker 1:Thank you again.
