Transacting Value Podcast
Looking for ways to reinvigorate your self-worth or help instill it in others? You're in the right place. Transacting Value Podcast is a weekly, episodic, conversation-styled podcast that instigates self-worth through personal values. We talk about the impacts of personal values on themes like job satisfaction, mitigating burnout, establishing healthy boundaries, enhancing self-worth, and deepening interpersonal relationships.
This is a podcast about increasing satisfaction in life and your pursuit of happiness, increasing mental resilience, and how to actually build awareness around what your values can do for you as you grow through life.
As a divorced Marine with combat and humanitarian deployments, and a long-distanced parent, I've fought my own demons and talked through cultures around the world about their strategies for rebuilding self-worth or shaping perspective. As a 3d Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and a lifelong martial artist, I have studied philosophy, psychology, history, and humanities to find comprehensive insights to help all of our Ambassadors on the show add value for you, worthy of your time.
Ready to go from perceived victim to self-induced victor? New episodes drop every Monday 9 AM EST on our website https://www.TransactingValuePodcast.com, and everywhere your favorite podcasts are streamed. Check out Transacting Value by searching "Transacting Value Podcast", on Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube.
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Transacting Value Podcast
Michael Dillard's Guide to Financial Literacy and Cultural Awareness
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Meet Michael Dillard, a U.S. Army veteran, diplomat, and executive coach, whose remarkable journey from military service to the federal arena is packed with lessons in resilience and adaptability. Join us as we explore the empowering impact of financial literacy and cultural awareness in achieving career success. Michael's journey as an author is highlighted by his books "Accidental Success" and "Build Generational Wealth, Retire Early," offering insights into personal finance and resilience. With a focus on guiding young people in defining their goals, this episode underscores the value of diverse experiences and financial planning in shaping a successful future. Tune in to connect with Michael and access resources that empower individuals to achieve their goals and foster resilience in their own lives.
(13:35) https://www.passiton.com/
(32:04) https://www.afvclub.com/
Michael Dillard, aka Mr. Resilient, transforms organizations from within. Learn more by visiting https://www.madillard.com/. Don’t forget to download your FREE checklist: https://www.madillard.com/link-in-bio
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The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the podcast host and guest and do not necessarily represent those of our distribution partners, supporting business relationships or supported audience. Welcome to Transacting Value, where we talk about practical applications for instigating self-worth when dealing with each other and even within ourselves, where we foster a podcast listening experience that lets you hear the power of a value system for managing burnout, establishing boundaries, fostering community and finding identity. My name is Josh Porthouse, I'm your host and we are redefining sovereignty of character. This is why values still hold value. This is Transacting Value.
Michael Dillard:I was always willing to take one step back in order to go two steps forward. And I just believed, I started just believing, and when it started to work, then I really started to plan my future.
Josh Porthouse:Today on Transacting Value how can we learn better from setbacks, interpret our failures and mark our lives with excellence? Now, alongside Mr Resilient Michael Dillard, us Army veteran, us diplomat and certified executive coach, we're going to figure it out together. I'm Josh Porthouse, I'm your host and, from SDYT Media, this is Transacting Value, michael, how you doing.
Michael Dillard:Josh, I am feeling blessed. I'm happy to be here on your show. You had a lot of great guests, so I'm honored to be one of the other members to join, to get a chance to speak with you oh my gosh dude.
Josh Porthouse:I appreciate you saying that, but have you heard your story? Come on, please. It was the least I could do, All right. Let's start here at the beginning. Absolutely, let's start here at the beginning. All right For anybody who's new to Transacting Value and, obviously, anybody who may be unfamiliar with you. Let's just take the next couple minutes and summarize this a little bit. Who are you right? Where are you from? What sort of things are shaping your perspective on life right now?
Michael Dillard:Wow, what's shaping my life right now is that I served in the Army for four years and so now I'm in a federal job. I got two years to go, so I'm looking at retiring. Get that pension in a minute, in a year and a half, so I'm transitioning, trying to use those skills that I learned in life to help other people. I realized lately a lot of men are suffering in silence, so I'm working with men to help build up their morale. Family Christmas is coming up, thanksgiving holidays. So you got that shopping. You know the family wife is like hey, what is this tree? Don't you like the tree? The tree looks lovely honey.
Michael Dillard:The tree looks good. You know what I mean. And then the kids are getting bigger. You know, the other day my daughter we were going to I thought it was church, but actually we were going to a birthday party so we drove two different cars. So I'm driving wife in a passenger seat and so she's driving the other car and then we get off the interstate, josh, and she has the nerve to pass me on the interstate. Who passes their parents on the interstate?
Josh Porthouse:Yeah, yeah, well, okay, so she's gaining some independence. That counts for something right. You got to be proud of that yeah, man, but did you? You have one daughter.
Michael Dillard:I actually have three children. We got two girls and then my son.
Josh Porthouse:Okay, so were all three of your children able to travel around with you?
Michael Dillard:Oh yeah, they traveled Dominican Republic, they went to Zambia, they went to Afghanistan, they went to Zambia and South Africa.
Josh Porthouse:Wow, wow, what an upbringing. I mean the amount of for one, the amount of travel and perspective that they're just able to do growing up, which is cool and has its place right, cool stories, and I rode a zebra or whatever travel excursions you guys were able to do, but the cultural nuanced differences between all of those places aren't really overlapping at all. What did that do for you guys, your perspective, your parenting, their perspective, their upbringing? I mean, how does that impact somebody?
Michael Dillard:One thing we realized, Josh, is that home is where your feet are. You know, a lot of times people are like, oh, I'm from, say I'm from. I grew up in Clarksville, Tennessee. Clarksville, Tennessee, is great, but when it's Thanksgiving and Christmas and you're overseas in South Africa, that's where your home is. Your home is with your mom and dad and your children. For example, let me give you a picture it was Thanksgiving in South Africa, like 2020. Covid lockdown was happening but it was easing up.
Michael Dillard:Now it's COVID family can't travel into the country. What do we do? We take hot oil and guess what we do? We put a turkey in there. We fried a turkey. We fried a turkey in South Africa and guess what? We ate the turkey. We ate it on the beach. I mean creating precious memories. We didn't let the COVID health pandemic ruin the family fun of tradition, of being together, being thankful for life. So that's an experience that we have and that the kids will remember that home is where your mom and dad and your relatives are right. That's where your home, your nucleus of family. So that's what we always kind of valued as we went from place to place, Because you can imagine, you pick up, you have your friends, you're playing in the park and the next day you're in an airplane, a new country, with people that you don't even know. And now you got to pick up again and build your confidence as a young child of being independent. That, oh the cool things are Converse shoes, but Converse aren't in style no more, they're Nikes or Pumas.
Josh Porthouse:Being resilient, Sure, well, okay, so that's a good point. Let me ask you that real quick why is your nickname Mr Resilient? Real quick. Why is your nickname Mr Resilient?
Michael Dillard:Nickname is Mr Resilient because when I was a child, if you were my neighbor when I was 15 years old, you would have seen a nice, handsome, 120 pounds skinny boy run out to the mailbox. Okay, in the summer it's August, 85 degrees, it's hot outside I stick my hand in the mailbox, I pull out an envelope and I'm running back inside and I'm all excited, josh, I'm excited, you looking at me like what is wrong with Michael. Then my mom comes out carrying our baby brother and then my other second brother comes out as well. We jump into the 1979 Oldsmobile 10 milemile-per-gallon-having car. Hey there you go.
Michael Dillard:Wheels on steel. So you're curious, josh. So you jump in with us and you put your seatbelt on. My mom puts the car in reverse. We back out. Now she's driving down the street. You're like where are they going? They're getting excited. My mom pulls up. We jump out and you look up. We are at the grocery store. You see, josh, that envelope was $200 worth of food stamps.
Michael Dillard:We were broke but still living. So that's how I grew up Single parent household, broke but still living. And then a program called Upward Bound offered me an opportunity to get additional tutoring during the summertime, during the weekends, and to have a vision. That vision was to get a college degree so that I can earn more money. So growing up, I was broke but still living, went on to get my college degree think to support from Upward Bound. And then I realized, josh, education can unlock doors. That was once close to me as a young boy. That's one version. Another story in between. The story Now. I graduated high school, I went to college, but I started chasing money because of my friends were working at the factory, making money, buying the new shacks. Push the pump to shoot. Let them inflate.
Michael Dillard:I was jealous, so I wanted some too. So I started going working factory, working 55 hours a week. That means something had to give the books or the money. I chose the money. Then I joined the army to get a skill and to get paid. I come back four years later. I'm on the same assembly line putting together stoves in a hundred degree heat, and I see a job announcement on the board one day as I'm walking out, at 2am. It said it's looking for somebody that knows how to read an ohm meter, who knows how to solder, who understands a schematic. Guess who just so happened went to the military and learned that skill. I did so. Once again, new doors was opening up for me. Every time I closed the door, I was able to get into another door based upon education.
Josh Porthouse:Okay, but did you always know that these were the opportunities that you would get with this education? Like you planned this in advance.
Michael Dillard:I didn't know. I did not know when I got my degree from Austin Peace. You know, when I was going to Austin Peace State University to study, I didn't know what was going to happen. I just knew if you go to college, you probably will make more money. So when I joined the Army, instead of finishing, I was just trying to have stability. I had no idea.
Michael Dillard:When I came back and that job was on the board that, hey, you have a skill, we're going to pay you more money for it and let you work in an air-conditioned building instead of being in 100-degree heat. Sounds pretty nice, didn't know? So then, when I graduated eventually from Middle Tennessee State University with my bachelor's degree, josh, guess where I was working? I was working at the call center. I looked around and I said how does a person go to college for four years and you're still answering phones? This can't be me. So I took an internship that summer with my college. I saw an announcement. It says hey, you can gain banking experience. So guess what I said let me do the internship, let me take a $200 pay cut in order to learn a skill so that I can get into banking. That's what I did. So I was always willing to take one step back in order to go two steps forward. And I just believed, I started just believing, and when it started to work, then I really started to plan my future.
Josh Porthouse:Okay, and so let me clarify some of this. So you work in the factory, you obviously get a job, join the army, go to school and you studied electrical engineering, studied- electrical engineering.
Michael Dillard:So that's the funny part. In college I got a degree in interdisciplinary studies which is like a liberal arts type degree. Gives you some space, yeah, but stability Gives me some space. But stability is what I did. Sweet, smart, okay.
Josh Porthouse:Which I assume was intentional.
Michael Dillard:Yes, yes, yes, it was intentional. I wanted something very so I had a minor in business and a minor in computer information systems.
Josh Porthouse:That's interesting and okay. And so where does this put us? Now we're in the nineties, early nineties, mid nineties.
Michael Dillard:We're in the 2000s, early 2000s.
Josh Porthouse:Early 2000s. Okay, and so then you get out of college and you end up essentially as an electrician doing what?
Michael Dillard:No, no, sorry. So that's why Let me rephrase the story. So the timeline is that I graduated from high school, then I went to college only for a semester and then I left because I was failing. I was failing not doing good, I was chasing the money. So then I went and joined the military for four years. When I got out of the military I ended up right back at the same factory, but because I had a skill, they paid me more money and put me in a nice air-conditioned office. Then I eventually got my four-year degree in interdisciplinary studies. And when I got my degree I still couldn't get a job because I didn't have the skill. I wanted to work in banking, but I didn't have the skills they were looking for. So I gambled on myself, as one would say. I took an internship, paying less money, to get the skill so I can put it on my resume, and it paid off.
Josh Porthouse:And when you say I ended up getting a job working at a bank. Okay, but you had the education. So when you say skill, you mean experience.
Michael Dillard:Experience. Correct, because they weren't back in those days. You can have a degree, but if you didn't have actual experience, they didn't back in those days. You could have a degree, but if you didn't have actual experience they didn't want to hire you.
Josh Porthouse:All right, folks, sit tight and we'll be right back on Transacting Value.
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Michael Dillard:Back in those days you could have a degree, but if you didn't have actual experience, they didn't want to hire you.
Josh Porthouse:You know what's crazy about this full circle you're talking about now, 25, some years later. It's the same thing. Because in the middle, obviously, what happened right was well, you have the experience, great. But if you don't have the education, you're not getting promoted. If you don't have the education, you're not getting the higher paid opportunities. And then again, more people went to school in the teens and then they said okay, cool. Well, you don't have the experience, you're like well what do you want me to?
Josh Porthouse:do yes, okay, so all of that makes sense. What does that have to do with being a US diplomat?
Michael Dillard:Oh, that was an accident, Josh. I became a US diplomat on accident. Okay, All right, yeah, Life is special. That's why you know, Mr Resilient. So I got the job at the bank, making decent money, and I decide to go and get another job making more money so I can have an upward mobility. Because, unfortunately, I couldn't get the loan officer job because I didn't have the experience. Josh, they wouldn't promote me up because I didn't have the experience. So I went and applied to work somewhere else where they gave me an opportunity. Things were going good until it wasn't. There's a saying people don't quit employers, they quit people. My boss. I couldn't get along with my boss, we just didn't hit it off. I was tired of do this, do that, do this, do that. So I started looking for what? Another job which helped me get a job working at Dell Computers. So now I am wearing flip-flops, shorts and a t-shirt going to work and guess what? I'm making more money. And flip-flops, Okay, and flip-flops. So life is good, I'm getting bonuses.
Michael Dillard:And when they had a sales competition and it was a team of 12 of us and they were like whoever can sell the most printers, you get $100 for the week. Oh, that money was mine. You know I was broke, but still living. So I was hungry for the money. I was hungry. It got so bad that people didn't even try no more. That money was mine. I was hungry, so I'm making good money.
Michael Dillard:And then, you know, it was a summer, as usual. Something always happens in the summer. So my daughter was like hey, daddy, I want some ice cream. Can you take me to the store when you drop me off at daycare? I said I can't take you and get ice cream before daycare, but afterwards, how about we go and get ice cream? Okay, cool. So I dropped her off at daycare. I'm driving to work. Work is going good as usual. They got a free food downstairs for us to encourage us to keep selling. Stand on the phone After lunch. My boss taps me on the shoulder Michael, I want to talk to you. She's like we're going to have to let you go. We're going to have to let you go, and this is 2008. 2008.
Michael Dillard:financial crisis 2008, 2009 yes, the 2008 2009 financial crisis, josh gotcha. Yeah, okay, something had happened earlier where I was like why is this personal development book telling me to go back and get a second master? See, I had gotten an mba in personal finance along the way. Then, when I was working at Dell, something said go back and get a master's in accounting so you can move to Texas and work in the corporate center and make the big money with the big boys. I said okay, but why? It's like do the VHS tapes still work? I said no, nobody don't. They don't watch movies on VHS tapes. Okay, what about cassette tapes? Anybody using those? I said nope. So do you really think people are going to steal, pay a thousand dollars for a computer? I said you got a point.
Michael Dillard:So I went back at my master's in accounting. So, as she was tapping me on the shoulder and telling me that I'd been laid off, I was thinking to myself Josh, I am so glad I listened to the personal development book because I just finished up my master's in accounting. So I'm sad, disappointed, but I'm optimistic that, yeah, tomorrow I'll get a job. I'm good. Two master's degree and a bachelor's, I'm good. So I drive pick my daughter up and she's like, daddy, let's go get ice cream. Like, yes, let's go get the ice cream. But inside I was, I was hurt and I was grieving yeah, yeah.
Josh Porthouse:So then I'm okay. You enjoy your ice cream right.
Michael Dillard:Fulfill your obligations and keep your promises all of that's great, you give yourself some time to process, and then you just show up at the US State Department, so I'm unemployed. I go down to the unemployment office and they're like oh, congratulations, michael, you get the max. I said oh, that's good. How much? $200 a week.
Michael Dillard:Okay, that's not enough to do anything, that's not enough, especially when I was making some good money. So I was like what am I going to do? How am I going to survive? Well, remember I had the MBA in personal finance. So I had invested in my 401k, bought stocks and was doing all the things right in order to have financial freedom. So I had a little bit of money saved up in my account that we were able to draw down from me and my wife were able to draw down from to keep us afloat. Month one no job. Month two no job, uh-oh, uh-oh. Month three, I finally get an interview to be an assistant store manager at a clothing store. My wife's like nah, don't take it. No, no, you can't take that job. What we need the money, yeah, nah, there's something else that's coming that's better than that. I don't want you to be no assistant store manager selling clothes in the mall, josh. So when I go to the interview, my wife is walking around the mall praying that I don't get the job. Who does that?
Josh Porthouse:Yeah, okay, it sounds like she passed you on the interstate. So what happened? It's genetic, it's genetic.
Michael Dillard:So we come out. I'm excited. I'm like, yeah, they'll be in touch. The next day I checked my email. I got an email to go interview to be a financial management officer in Washington DC. It's like huh. I look at the requirements. It says you have to pass a top secret security clearance, you have to pass a medical background and you have to learn a foreign language. I said what kind of job is this? So now I go to you know USA, united States Agency for International Development's website, type it in and look up financial management officer. And I started reading and then it says, yes, you have to do all these things and you have to get a US diplomatic passport when you travel out of the US. Have to get a US diplomatic passport when you travel out of the US. At that point I realized I'd accidentally applied to be a US diplomat and I was broke but hungry. So you know I passed the interview. You know I passed, yeah.
Josh Porthouse:Yeah, there you go. Ok, all right, unbelievable. And so, going through these things, I mean, what did you do to cope? I mean you, you can only get ice cream once or twice before you're like ice cream's not gonna do it. So what actually? I mean, that's 90 days with you know doubt, no, no necessary income, really, uh, aside from what you had already saved. So you know, thriving off, times of plenty is great, but it's only lean for so long. So how'd you cope with all that? What did you do?
Michael Dillard:I buckled down, I was watching my daughter and I was just reflecting, like how did this happen? Like how did this happen? But I kept believing that, okay, at some point in time I'll have to go work two jobs. At some point in time I might just have to buckle down and go work two or three jobs, but I felt a small chance that something would come up, because I'm like I got two degrees right, two master's degrees and a bachelor's. So maybe it's just a bad timing, maybe people are just backed up. So I just believed, I just kept believing that something was going to come. During this time I didn't, I didn't panic, I didn't have a spirit of like life is over or anything like that.
Josh Porthouse:Alrighty, folks sit tight and we'll be right back on Transacting Value.
Josh Porthouse:Alrighty folks, if you're looking for more perspective and more podcasts, you can check out Transacting Value on Reads Across America Radio. Listen in on iHeartRadio, odyssey and TuneIn.
Michael Dillard:So I just believed, I just kept believing that something was going to come. During this time I didn't panic, I didn't have a spirit of like, like life is over, or anything like that.
Josh Porthouse:That's surprising, not because I know you, because I don't, but because of the circumstance. That's surprising, especially like you said, every 30 days Plus, you've got kids. This isn't just like you and your wife deciding maybe we won't buy that motorcycle this month. This is like we got bills to pay, we got things to do, yeah, so okay, what about then going into these opportunities? Did you feel qualified? Did you feel capable, confident, competent? Or was there a fair amount of self-doubt and anxiety you had to work through? How did it go for you?
Michael Dillard:When I was unemployed or when I was applying for different jobs.
Josh Porthouse:Well, I suppose all of the above.
Michael Dillard:Yeah. When I applied for a job I knew I was going to get the job because I had an experience that kind of changed my life when I was working at Dell Computers. I had one of the best sales number as a new sales class. Right when you start out they hire a group of people. You start out taking phone calls or working with small businesses and I was able to work 12 hours a day. I was relentless right 7 am to 7 pm. Then I got so good that I had it down to a pact of when the calls would come in. My numbers were great. So when there was an opportunity to apply to move to a higher performing division to take care of more high profile customers, I applied. Now, most of the time, the person who has the best sales numbers gets the job. I interviewed and they told me well, we didn't know you was interested in the job. I said what I said yeah, we didn't know you was interested. I said okay, this is a first. Yeah, because so, and so was meeting with all the different managers and talking. So we knew they were interested. We didn't see you. I said okay. So I started doing my research. So I started sitting with the sales team and helping mentor the new sales reps. So I'm mentoring the new reps and et cetera.
Michael Dillard:I go in an interview again didn't get the job again this time it's like what. Didn't get the job again this time it's like what. Somebody else was in the queue, oh so so that person got the job. So I'm like, oh, my goodness. So I've done the research, I've networked, like, oh, maybe this just isn't for me. Another position came open because it's a it's a big team, big sales force, right. So another position came open. I applied and I got it the third time. But what that taught me is that you have to do your homework. When you're applying for a job, do your homework. Make sure there's no excuses where they can't be like oh, we didn't know you were interested, we didn't see you. Make sure you know what type of benefit and skills that they're looking for, that they need when you go on the interview, so that when you're answering the question, your answer will be one that's a benefit to them.
Josh Porthouse:I like that, which obviously helps your confidence going in managing some anxiety in the process, I'm sure.
Michael Dillard:Exactly exactly. So I interviewed for that job so many times like I could pass an interview.
Josh Porthouse:Right, right, right, okay, all right. So then, this obviously helps you prepare, helps you get some insight and, I don't know, it sounds like maybe even a fair amount of luck, just that these chances were presenting themselves when they did and timing being what it was throughout your life. But I can't imagine that that's all it was. So this is a segment of the show called Developing Character.
Josh Porthouse:D D D, developing Character, and this is two questions, okay, and for everybody listening. The whole point of this is because my personal theory is values are a shortcut to our identity and conversations and relationships, and it just sort of speeds up the awareness process and we generally don't just make them up. They start from some kind of a baseline and we build from there as time goes and they change and whatever, and so that's the point of this segment. So, michael, I have two questions, where my first is then, aside from the chance and the timing and the effort you've put throughout your life into these opportunities, what were some of the values that you were raised on or that you remember being taught as a kid?
Michael Dillard:Yeah, I remember growing up. Be respectful of others, play nice, obey the Ten Commandments and do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Josh Porthouse:Solid foundation. Okay, generally speaking, fairly common, I think.
Michael Dillard:Okay, generally speaking, in my space, I work with a lot of new supervisors who are having to deal with obstacles and they're not able to overcome them, so I help upskill them to be able to manage hard decisions that they have to make as a leader. At the same time, I know that the economy can go down at some point in time. If you're not prepared for it, it'll create a financial ruin. In addition, you're young you're 20, but when you're 65, you're going to wish you had saved some money, you're going to wish you invested, you're going to wish you had life insurance, and et cetera.
Josh Porthouse:Okay, all right, so that's all practical as well, which I assume stems from your education, formal and informal. But what about diplomacy? What role did this have, or does it have, on your perspective now? I mean these other cultures, these other languages, these other biases, patterns on the world. What has that done for you?
Michael Dillard:you know biases, patterns on the world. What has that done for you? It's shown me that you have to value culture and respect culture. What I mean by that is that we, as individuals, we learn basic societal norms from our local environment. In another country, their norms are going to be different than yours, so when you're in another country, you have to recognize and respect that there's more than one way to achieve a goal, and so that's what I've learned traveling the world.
Josh Porthouse:Has it helped you so far, or is it just interesting insight that maybe one day could help you?
Michael Dillard:Definitely helped me. When I go from country to country and I'm managing a team of 30 people 20 people I'm able to go in there and, day one, able to relate to the people, motivate the staff and, at the same time, perform at a high level motivate the staff and, at the same time, perform at a high level. A lot of times people get tripped up. They go into a new environment expecting that things are going to work the same way they worked in the United States or the last country they were at, not recognizing that you're in a different environment, so you have to adapt your communication skills?
Josh Porthouse:Oh okay, but I assume that's inward and outward then, because with all that change I mean, I don't know about you, but in my case I'm pretty confident imposter syndrome would come up on probably more than one occasion until I proved myself wrong. Did that ever come across your mind?
Michael Dillard:No, because I realized that, and maybe it's a formula or something like that. I realized that if you learn from your mistakes as you go right, you improve as you go. You're going to get immediate cues. If you are leading a group of people and you realize that they're deficient in something, well, you can't hold them to a high standard. You got to go back and train them on the deficiency and then continue to upskill them. If you go somewhere and the team is high performing, you want to check and make sure where are they motivated, Because sometimes they're highly skilled but they lack motivation.
Josh Porthouse:All right, folks sit tight, We'll be right back on Transacting Value.
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Michael Dillard:If you go somewhere and the team is high performing, you just you want to check and make sure where are they motivated? Because sometimes they're highly skilled but they lack motivation.
Josh Porthouse:Okay. Do you have a series of questions to identify that? Or is it just something now that over time you can more readily identify?
Michael Dillard:I take it as an individual, by individual basis. For example, imagine that you're a leader. You're leading a team of 30 people. I like to meet with my team when I come in everybody. So over a period of three months, I would meet with someone.
Michael Dillard:Find out how long have you been working here? Where did you work at before? That'll tell you a lot about people. A lot of times, people only focus on what they're doing now, for them, for that organization. You'll find out that some people have over 10 years of experience working in the same industry with different other entities that are beneficial.
Michael Dillard:You find out that some people had a prior skill and this is a career change. Then you find out well, what's your motivation for being here? Why did you join this company? You find out why. Oh, because they wanted to implement the vision. They wanted the chance to work with different cultures. So you understand that.
Michael Dillard:Okay, what's your career goal? Do you still want to stay working where you're at? You want to work in another section? What's your career goals are? And then you start to look at their skills, look at the work they're producing. From that I'm able to nudge some people that are performing at a high level but are sitting in the back and say, hey, have you considered to be a trainer? Have you considered hosting a training series for X division? If there's somebody that doesn't have a lot of skills, then I kind of hey, why don't you come sit with me for 30 minutes? Let me just show you something like an impromptu conversation. I make it feel like it's an impromptu conversation, but I'm just slowly upskilling them, so it just each person is different, each situation is different.
Josh Porthouse:Yeah, okay, all right, well, that makes sense. Now do you think any of that style maybe, or your preference for that kind of a style of working with people, do you think any of that came from? I don't know your experience in the army I assume that was during your high school age, so it was all pretty formative at the time or have you just sort of grown far and away from there, found more appropriate styles to fit your own?
Michael Dillard:Yeah, I've changed from the military style. I had a supervisor tell me they can tell that I was kind of former military because of the hey, here's what we're going to do approach that I used to have. Hey, this is the plan, let's go without getting feedback right from others. And so I took that constructive consideration and said let me pause in some of my communication, my plans, and let others provide feedback.
Josh Porthouse:So I've adopted it, since the military.
Michael Dillard:Providing feedback. You mean in terms of like tolerance or patience or just active listening. What does that apply to? You can go in there and be like hey, I want to see a report, you know, every day for the next five days. You can just do that, so you're telling them because you have the authority. The difference, what I'm saying, is you have the authority, you're in charge, so what you say goes. Or you can take an adaptive approach and be like you know, I noticed that the payments are kind of behind lately. What has changed? Oh well, the ex-health department or health section, the person is out and they sent it all at the last minute. I see, Okay.
Josh Porthouse:So you're coming from more of a place of curiosity.
Michael Dillard:Correct Collaborative asking questions versus implementing a plan without trying to figure out, okay, what's the root cause, and also involving others. So they say, oh well, all these came at the last minute because of X division. Okay, does this normally happen? Yeah, it always happens at the end of the quarter. Oh, now we realize that this is an ongoing issue. Okay, so what can we do to make sure that we don't get this big rush next time? Then they might say okay, what if we just sent out an email, like three weeks before the end of the quarter, to tell the program managers to make sure your partners send invoices in early, because we won't be able to process everything at the same time? Okay, so yeah, solution-based.
Josh Porthouse:So, yeah, solution based sort of a growth mindset, I guess Correct, yeah, ok, ok, cool. And so all the things that you've experienced and done, obviously all the lessons, like you just brought up, you know, trust, confidence, morale and relationships, all that rapport and everything you've accomplished. Well, now, at this point around the world, I guess my really last two questions, for the sake of time here, are well, fairly straightforward I guess. But what has all of it done now for your sense of self? You've gone from the factory line worker, the high school kid, the soldier in Tennessee to dominating the world and every challenge that's come your way so far. That says a lot, in my opinion. But what's your opinion? What has it done for your self-worth?
Michael Dillard:It has given me the attitude that when people are younger, if they understand, if they can do it, you can do it. Once again, if you look out and you say, wait a minute, they've been able to achieve this day. But no, no, you can do it too. If they can do it, you can do it, believe it, achieve it. So I feel like now is the time to work with young people, college students, young adults to give them the vision, say, okay, what is it that you want to work on? I want to do this. Okay, what are three things that you can do or others have done in the past, do you like? So now they pick that one thing and then, josh, every day they just do a little bit and they just start working towards the goal and they chip at it Eventually. Success will come. Now, along the way, if I'm able to coach them and give them a little bit of guidance, it makes it easier for them to reach the top.
Josh Porthouse:Yeah, absolutely. Well, it takes a village. I'm a firm believer in that, and it's not always just to pick up kids from daycare or to help with dinner or help with laundry or something. I think more often than not and I'm sure traveling the world, like in my case was deployments with the Marine Corps infantry Most of my career has been active duty and I can only assume most of yours would do. But Well, ngos you said that it's been probably pretty similar. That it takes a village reference also makes a huge impact in terms of perspective and conversational skills and just learning how other people become human, you know, and grow into themselves. It's a game changer. Yeah, absolutely, and as I understand it, you're also an author right, yes, yep, yep, I am the author of two books.
Michael Dillard:The first book, called Accidental Success, would tell you how I went from being, you know, unemployed on a Friday, accidental US diplomat on a Monday. People kept wanting to know about my story so I wrote it in the book. I also shared my resilient tips in the book, also share my leadership tips in the book to help people become the best version of themselves. And then the second book, which is a fiction book, on personal finance. So I keep you entertained, josh, to help you learn about money.
Josh Porthouse:Yeah, okay, I'm digging that. Take a minute real quick. What are you talking about? A fiction like the richest man in Babylon type fiction book.
Michael Dillard:It's similar to like David Bach's book like Automatic Millionaire.
Josh Porthouse:What's your book called? What's it about?
Michael Dillard:Yeah, build generational wealth, retire early. So imagine there's two couples called. What's it about? Yeah off. So he invites her back to church. So they go to church, they start dating, they get married.
Michael Dillard:The uncle gives them the book that talks about personal finance buying life insurance when you're young, then investing your 401k and then three, paying off high interest debt, putting money in your individual retirement account and then opening up a child inheritance account. So it walks through the life cycle of a couple implementing these different actions in their life. But it also shares the story of how their neighbor, their friends, who are married, who are living a good life, who are buying up everything. But, as we know today, life looks good, you're enjoying life, but later on the spending habits start to catch up with that couple and then they start running into financial ruin while the couple is enjoying financial freedom along the way. And then it takes the life story of a single person how they end up having to take care of their daughters I mean not their daughter, but their sister's kids because something happened to, unfortunately to them. So it's a fictional book. It gives you the life story of married couple, single people, and the different financial things that you can do to have financial freedom.
Josh Porthouse:I do like financial freedom. Well, I'm entertained by pursuing it. I don't know that I like it, yet I don't have it, but I appreciate your insight for that, and so I guess then my last question is, for anybody who's interested in finding your books, obviously just learning more about your story where do people go? How do we find these things?
Michael Dillard:Yeah, If you go to wwwmadillard M-A-D-I-L-L-A-R-D, you'll see on my website I got some free resources for you. You can download a couple of financial guides that help you avoid the seven most common financial mistakes. If you're a leader, you want to learn how to lead with impact. I have a lead with impact guide that you can use to become a better supervisor. And then, if you just want to follow me on YouTube or any of my podcasts, you can also check me out there. And if you're looking to book me, my booking information is there.
Josh Porthouse:There we go All right. Well, for anybody who's new to our show, depending on the player you're streaming this conversation on, you can click see more, click show more, and there's a drop down arrow under this conversation and in that description you'll be able to see links to well madillardcom and get to the website, or links to the books, or, obviously, to be able to book Michael Dillard as a speaker as well. Dude, I really appreciate the opportunity, man, and your time. I understand you're out right now and you got your whole life in front of you and you're doing things and you're busy. But just to take this opportunity to come onto the show, share your story a little bit, talk about value systems, their impact and ways to overcome a fear of failure, to reframe it to be successful and what it sounds like lead with excellence, very well and regularly, which is a huge success in and of itself. So thank you for your time. I appreciate your perspective as well. Appreciate it, josh, absolutely.
Josh Porthouse:To everybody else who's listened to our conversation or watched it. In this case, I appreciate you guys tuning in as well. If you want to hear more of our conversations, you can go to transactingvaluepodcastcom and on the homepage this is pretty cool the top right corner of the conversations you can go to transactingvaluepodcastcom and on the homepage this is pretty cool the top right corner of the screen there's a leave a voicemail button. Now when you click it, two minutes of talk time goes directly to you. You can leave whatever message you want constructive or destructive, I think we can handle either. But in those voicemails about the show, about our conversations totally fine for us. You can also leave a message, in this case for Michael. Let us know that it's for him, let us know the episode so we know to forward it on to him. Any feedback you've got about his books, any feedback or any insight you've got about this conversation for him as well, to help him better refine and tell his story. Totally cool. I highly recommend it. Take the opportunity and let us know what you think about it. But for right now, thank you guys for tuning in. Michael, thank you again for your time and until next time.
Josh Porthouse:That was Transacting Value. Thank you to our show partners and folks. Thank you for tuning in and appreciating our value as we all grow through life together, to check out our other conversations or even to contribute through feedback follows time, money or talent and to let us know what you think of the show. Please leave a review on our website, transactingvaluepodcastcom. We also stream new episodes every Monday at 9 am Eastern Standard Time through all of your favorite podcasting platforms like Spotify, iheart and TuneIn. You can now hear Transacting Value on Wreaths Across America Radio Eastern Standard Time, wednesdays at 5 pm, sundays at noon and Thursdays at 1 am. Head to wreathsacrossamericaorg. Slash transactingvalue to sponsor a wreath and remember, honor and teach the value of freedom for future generations. On behalf of our team and our global ambassadors, as you all strive to establish clarity and purpose, ensure social tranquility and secure the blessings of liberty or individual sovereignty of character for yourselves and your posterity, we will continue instigating self-worth and we'll meet you there Until next time. That was Transacting Value.
