Success Secrets and Stories
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Success Secrets and Stories
Exploring Movie wisdom with MBR wisdom: The secret to life in one word
This episode explores the heart of love and responsibility, showcasing how these concepts drive fulfillment in both personal and professional realms. By connecting Curly's wisdom from "City Slickers" to modern leadership practices, we discuss the vital attributes of love and their impact on creating accountable and nurturing environments.
• Exploring Curly’s wisdom about life and happiness
• Defining love and its attributes
• Drawing parallels between love and Management by Responsibility
• Emphasizing work-life balance and mindfulness
• Understanding the importance of supportive environments
• Reflection on legacy and the impact of personal relationships
Presented by John Wandolowski and Greg Powell
Hello everyone and welcome to our podcast Success Secrets and Stories. I am your host, John Wondolowski, and I'm here with my co-host and friend, greg Powell, greg.
Speaker 1:Hey everybody.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So today's podcast, greg and I have basically nicknamed it the Curly Podcast, so we have had some fun putting this one together and let me try to explain a little bit of what we mean.
Speaker 2:I found this interesting quote from Adrienne Foster from January 27th 2020, and it was an article Movie Confessions by City Slickers, and it was just an interesting kind of tidbit that I thought it was so appropriate. In her article she has one section where it's it goes this way there's an old cowboy, curly, who is played perfectly by jack palance um which, by the way, in 1992 he was awarded his only oscar for best supporting actor for this movie who is a daunting but wonderful man. He takes a liking and befriends the main character, mitch Robbins, who is played by the ever-famous Billy Crystal. So she goes ahead and the next part is an interesting quote from Curly himself. Curly said Curly himself. Curly said I often find myself having revelations while out on the trail, learning to live in the moment, to value the exceptional company on and off the back of a horse, the quality conversations and the relationships. Curly goes on to say that the secret to life is one thing and he holds a finger up to Mitch and says that's for you to figure out. It's a great quote and Mitch has that look in his face of what did he just say, as per the course, mitch is perplexed, and that is the moral of the story is to find out what makes you happy, hold on to it and remember it In life as in business, and that's the part that I was intrigued.
Speaker 2:When I think about that wisdom, what's the one thing that I think is the most important element of life? What is the secret of life? Well, for me, that one thing is love. So when I thought about the definition of the word love, it became kind of an interesting play on words of how many different ways can it be possibly described? It's the most popular word in the English language. The results were unexpected and in some applications or definitions the line is blurred between what is a business application, what is personal views. So I thought I would do something a little bit different and I used the tools of AI to help me with that sorting process on how to use those different definitions, and I thought it was interesting on how much of that actually responded to the MBR courses in terms of management by responsibility, how much synergy that is associated with attributes of love are actually in common with management by responsibility. Greg, why don't you start us off?
Speaker 1:Thanks, john. Ah, love, a fascinating and multifaceted concept and there's some attributes often associated with love Affection, that deep feeling of fondness and care for someone. We all are familiar with that right, compassion, empathy and a desire to help or support the person you love. We've talked a little bit about that before and, as John said, the strong connection to management by responsibility.
Speaker 1:You've heard trust before, that confidence in the reliability and honesty of the one that's loved, respect, valuing the other person's thoughts, loyalty, a strong sense of commitment, passion, intense emotions and physical attraction towards that individual, kindness, selfless acts and a desire to bring happiness to the loved one, understanding patience and acceptance. And that's making sure you understand that people have imperfections and you're willing to work with that. And that's making sure you understand that people have imperfections and you're willing to work with that. Gratitude, appreciation, just flat-out appreciation for having that person in your life. And, of course, when you think of love, joy, a feeling of happiness and contentment with the loved one. Love can manifest itself in so many ways and they're all unique, don don't you think, john?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and apart from the MBR perspective, trust, respect, kindness, understanding and gratitude all were key components of the MBR process. But that's business, no, it's life, and even the AI system was seeing those similarities. The next one that I thought was interesting so what if we change the description? What if we did it and be a little bit more specific? And I asked the question in terms of a business context the AI system basically said it's a combination of personal satisfaction, engagement and alignment to company goals and values. There are attributes that are associated with loving one's job. Now, a few unique ones that I don't think are really MBA related. Clearly are passion and alignment to values because that's company speak, like your mission statement really not part of MBR, but the rest really did fit into the MBR platform of having a purpose, to find that feeling of the job having some meaning or you're making some contribution, Growth, the opportunities of personal and professional growth and learning, recognition, which is a very important part of MBR, and looking at being acknowledged for the work that you've done in your contributions. A subject we're going to talk about a little bit later is still within the MBR context of finding that work-life balance and the ability to find a healthy balance between what you're doing at home. How do you prioritize? Prioritization was something that was talked about in the previous description, and it's interesting how it is common Autonomy and the ability to have your own control and your own independence.
Speaker 2:Supportive environment Again, this is supposed to be in a business context of love. I just find it interesting in how these words are in MBR at the same time. A supportive environment and a culture that is encouraging and engaging and supportive. Positive relationships and building on the strength. That a little bit of this part is what they're talking about. Looking for your colleagues and your supervisors. The negative relationship is also something that wasn't talked about. An MBR approach in terms of relationships is whenever there's a broken employee and they're just not interested in being there, helping them with a negative relationship, and that's called firing someone. That's still an important element of MBR. So positive and negative relationships are relevant. And then achievement being able to have a sense of accomplishment, knowing what the results are and being able to demonstrate that you've accomplished them, greg. What's the next context?
Speaker 1:So, john, when someone loves their job and takes responsibility for their lives, it often reflects a strong sense of self-awareness and personal accountability. So we've got some attributes associated with this kind of mindset, and all of them relate to management by responsibility. First one self-discipline managing their time and tasks effectively managing their time and tasks effectively. The next one ownership taking charge of their actions and decisions and understanding the impact of their life and work. Goal-oriented setting and striving towards personal and professional objectives. Resilience bouncing back from setbacks and learning from failures.
Speaker 1:Adaptability being flexible and open to change in both their personal and professional lives. Continuous learning, seeking opportunities for personal growth and skill development on an ongoing basis. Balance maintaining a healthy work-life balance and prioritizing your well-being. Self-motivation driving themselves to succeed and find fulfillment in work and life. Mindfulness this one's real important being present and aware of your thoughts, emotions and actions. That goes hand in hand with integrity, upholding strong moral and ethical principles in every aspect of life. These attributes contribute to a fulfilling and balanced life, empowering individuals to take control of their destiny and find satisfaction in their careers and beyond. John.
Speaker 2:And you know that slide. What was interesting is self-awareness was part of the setup To start. That description and mindfulness and being present and being aware was another key component that they brought out. At the same time, dr Durst like spent the first third of his book talking about being in the now being aware. When I went through the course the first time on the first day, I thought the majority of the lessons were based on that simple concept alone.
Speaker 2:I thought I'd take it one step further because I really do believe that like balance is another key component of describing what it is as far as a leader and the things that motivate or should be part of the discussion. What does like balance really mean? Again, it was interesting to prioritize, to manage to ensure that both your work and your personal life has the necessary attention, to define boundaries, to understand how to avoid burnout and to maintain your mental health. Mindfulness, to be in the present. Now we're starting to get into some of the things that are associated with MBR again Delegation, key component of MBR, being able to find that life balance by sharing those responsibilities, support systems and this I have found is one of the stronger elements of what I really have dedicated a couple of our podcasts on is to develop a network, whether it be you know of our podcasts on is to develop a network, whether it be you know co-workers or people who are in the industry, or anything that you can do in order to try to find connections, whether they be professional or personal. That's all part of having some social value and we're going to be talking about a little bit of that, about trying to be part of the society and of the business and of your home.
Speaker 2:We've become so isolated over time that we're really missing how important it is for our support systems the ever-standard time management. I don't think there's anything unique about that concept. But the next one is kind of important having the flexibility to adapt those schedules and those time management rules and to accommodate them, regardless of whether it's a business application or a personal application, to be able to make sure that you're applying an equal push on either side of that balance applying an equal push on either side of that balance so you're looking at healthy lifestyle and to maintain things like a balanced diet and getting enough sleep and staying active. The last element of life balance is managing your leisure time to ensure that you have the relaxation, the hobbies and you take time to enjoy life.
Speaker 2:Step back, be reflective on just what it is, especially those leisure times are taking the opportunity to be around people that you maybe haven't seen in a while, to re-establish some of those connections, to enjoy the people that you find the most fun to be with. And then I would offer the opportunity to try to stretch a little and do some leisure time and introduce yourself to new people and new experiences all at the same time, because that's all part of that word of balance. Greg, I think you have a pretty good example of how we can actually apply it to the concept of MBR directly.
Speaker 1:Thank you, john. Yes, we like to make sure we look at real good referrals to Dr Michael Durst's Management by Responsibility material. It focuses on creating a management system that emphasizes individual accountability and personal growth within an organization. Individual accountability and personal growth within an organization this approach encourages managers and employees to take ownership of their actions and results, which fosters a culture of responsibility and self-improvement. Comparing this to the attributes of love we discussed earlier, there are some interesting parallels. So let's talk first about accountability. Both concepts emphasize taking responsibility for one's actions and one's outcomes.
Speaker 1:Growth Love involves personal growth and understanding, while management by responsibility focuses on individual and professional development. Support Love involves supporting and caring for others, and in a business context it translates to providing support and encouragement to your colleagues. Trust Both love and effective management require a foundation of trust and reliability. We've talked about that many times. Commitment Love involves a strong commitment to the relationship, and management by responsibility requires commitment to personal and organizational goals Again parallel. So in essence, both concepts highlight the importance of personal responsibility, growth and support in fostering positive and productive environments, whether in personal relationships or professional settings. John.
Speaker 2:So when I think about what we've just talked about, the things in terms of accountability and growth and support, I think of your family and the things that support. I think of your family and the things that happened in your life. Knowing you for geez, what is it? Five decades? Yes, indeed, you have some wonderful examples of, I think, responsibility and love in your life. Do you see the parallels? Do you see some of those parallels?
Speaker 1:I do, john. I can start at the top of the house, and that's my parents expressing love and support but also responsibility, taking ownership, with my father, who was in the military and traveled and helps serve our country. And then my mom not a homemaker, although she did that maybe as her third job, but as a social worker, working in corporate America, working in mental illness hospitals, doing some work there Just incredible and being a parent. Both of them were very, very good parents and they showed us the love and taught us about being responsible and passing it forward. So then you fast forward. I become a father, I get married, meet the right person and love is there and I end up having a couple of kids my son, the day he was born and cutting the cord, and that's what I saw. I saw his cute face and I felt love and I got lucky.
Speaker 1:Nine years later, our daughter comes into this world, erin Skye same thing. I've been twice blessed. Just the feeling of love and the impact I felt these kids were going to have on the world. And then, yes, another time, the next generation. And John can definitely relate to this. I'm a grandson and when Cajun was born and I remember holding him and my son's there, and my daughter-in-law, my wife, is there. My daughter and I just was almost in tears by thinking about love and the contribution he was going to make and how accountable he was going to be to the world someday and how proud I was going to be of him, as I have been of my kids, my wife and my parents.
Speaker 2:And I think you've also had the opportunity to have people that, as you were leaving companies whether they were closing or whether you were moving on in your career that you've had those moments in time where they come up to you and they've said you're the best boss I have ever worked with. Maybe you can talk a little bit about that too.
Speaker 1:So you're going to hit my humble side, John Hartford, to talk about those too. So you're going to hit my humble side, John, hard for me to talk about those things. But I have had definitely that happen to me, especially my last job and even other jobs, but my last job in particular, because folks were able to pinpoint some things that I really did that was tangible in their lives and then they felt the need to pass it forward, so trying to put them in a position to show what they could do for the company and excel, make sure they got the recognition for it and then take that and put that in their own repertoire of experiences when they became managers moving for the folks that were in their employ. So I like to believe that, yes, I pass on what I inherited from my family.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly. So it's hard to separate those two. When they're part of you, they're part of how you're perceived and I think that was the part that I have seen in my life too. How you conduct yourself happens 24-7. And if you're only doing that facade on the job and you're different when you go home, they can tell A phony is pretty obvious to see. When it's coming from the heart, almost anyone can see it.
Speaker 2:So we just want to end this podcast with some additional Curly wisdoms. And it's a couple elements of Curly trying to help out Mitch to understand elements of life. And in the film at one point he has this interesting quote you city folk spend about 50 weeks a year getting your knots in your rope and then you think spending two weeks out here will untie them all for you. Another Curly wisdom. And then you think spending two weeks out here will untie them all for you. Another curly wisdom rides out here often become therapeutic time of growth. And then he quoted Theodore Roosevelt, who was accredited for saying the outside of a horse is good for the inside of the man. So I'm going to leave you with those curly wisdoms and you have to watch the movie City Slickers. You will see a very interesting application of psychology and humor at the same time. I would strongly recommend it. It's a 1991 film and I'm sure you can get it on some kind of internet connection, but spend the time. It's worth a laugh.
Speaker 2:Building your Leadership Toolbox second edition Tools for Success are available on Amazon and Barnes. Noble websites. Success Secrets and Stories is available on the popular podcast formats like the one you're listening to in Apple, google and Spotify. Dr Durst's material on the MBR program is available on SuccessGrowthAcademycom. And if you want to contact us, please contact us on my website, wwwauthorjawcom. And the music has been brought to you by my grandson. So we want to hear from you Again at the time. Drop us a line. We're always interested in your opinions and we have learned from you to change, sometimes, our context to cover some of the stories that you would like us to cover. So thank you in advance. So, greg, thanks, thanks, thanks thanks, john.
Speaker 1:As always next time yeah.