Travis Makes Money

668: Sam Palazzolo | Becoming an Influential Leader


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What defines a great leader is how they face challenges. Being told he wasn’t good enough, was the fuel for the fire that drove Sam Palazzolo forward into success.

Today, Sam is an Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist, Author, Leadership Professor, and Nonprofit Philanthropist, who brings a variety of value creation topics to entrepreneurs and business leaders. His ideas and actionable takeaways are captured in his five books, the most recent being The Influential Leader: Leading at the Tip of the Spear.

Let’s dive into Sam’s story and talk about how to become an influential leader.

Things you will learn in this episode: 

[00:01 - 06:15] Opening Segment  

  • I introduce today’s guest, Sam Palazzolo 
  • Sam gives us some background on his story
  • Born and raised in Detroit
  • Modest upbringing 
  • Pushed to get good grades
  • Always looking for useful information

  • [06:16 - 13:01] The Minor Victories Leading to Success

    • From assembly line to corporate job
    • Getting invited by Vanderbilt University
    • Rewarding your accomplishments
    • The parallel of parenting and leadership 
    • Having people figure things out 

    • [13:02 - 20:29] Becoming an Influential Leader

      • Pivoting out of a corporate job
      • Joining a consultancy 
      • Going out on his own
      • Leadership development
      • Building up a tech startup 
      • Tip of the Spear
      • What they do 
      • The venture side 
      • Sam talks about the value of his book 
      • A catalyst to start bigger things 
      • A word from our sponsor

      • [20:30 - 27:37] Closing Segment

        • Who you know, or what you know?
        • Both: subject matter expert combined with leveraging relationships
        • How networking led Sam to opportunity 
        • The rule of 3
        • Takeaways from the Influential Leader
        • A lot of leadership books lack tactical steps 
        • Giving practical action steps 
        • ‘The people moment’ 
        • How to engage with Sam
        • Links below 
        • Final words 



        • Tweetable Quotes: 

          “I love it when people tell me, ‘you can’t do it,’ or ‘your best isn’t good enough…’ Those are the fuel moments that cause me to build fire; that’s what makes me drive down the highway faster.” - Sam Palazzolo

          “You gotta have those milestones that allow you to, kind of, tick off some success… You gotta give yourself some credit for the victories you accomplish.” - Sam Palazzolo


          Resources Mentioned: 


          • The Influential Leader: Leading at the Tip of the Spear
          • The Javelin Institute
          • Transformation Self-Assessment
          • Success Questions for every leader

          • Connect and engage with Sam on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Check out https://tipofthespearventures.com/ to learn more about creating a great organization.

            Did you love the value that we are putting out in the show? LEAVE A REVIEW and tell us what you think about the episode so we can continue putting out great content just for you! Share this episode and help someone who wants to connect with world-class people. 

            Jump on over to travischappell.com/makemypodcast and let my team make you your very own show!

            If you want to learn how to build YOUR network, check out my website travischappell.com. You can connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Be sure to join The Lounge to become part of the community that’s setting up REAL relationships that add value and create investments.



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            Travis Makes MoneyBy Travis Chappell

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