In today’s episode, Nick speaks with founder of Conquer Academy, Jeramiah Solven. Conquer Academy’s mission is to bring more good into the world while helping others achieve their very best. Today’s episode is all about leadership and Jeramiah’s 15 years in the U.S. Army. We’ll dive into what makes a leader, how to refine and build your leadership skills and some action items you can take now to build your leadership capabilities. 

As the conversation gets underway, Jeramiah discusses what the word conquer means to him. During his adolescence, he found solace from the chaos of his family life by regularly going to the gym. He was inspired by the story of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who inspired him to take action in his life every single day. Nick and Jeramiah discuss the importance of consistency and the advantages of not being the smartest guy in the room. 

Then, the conversation shifts to discussing Jeramiah’s time serving in the military up until January 1st, 2020. He began by running his coaching business on the weekends part time, and decided ultimately to pursue Conquer Academy full time. He joined the military at a desperate time in his life, when he was unsure of which direction to go. Jeramiah walks us through his timeline of his being in the military and shares the transformation which he underwent as a result. He had the realization that all along he had been chasing significance, which he initially found in the military. Exiting the military was one of the hardest decisions he has made. Jeramiah believes leaders are made in the same way diamonds are, with constant pressure while ensuring they don’t break. 

Nick explains the importance of earnestly listening to pushback in any leadership position. There is power in truly listening and speaking up. Among many other things, listening well gives you the ability to speak what you mean. Jeramiah learned lots about leadership, both good and bad, from his leaders in the military. They discuss the reaction without action which is so evident now in the age of social media. 

There is a huge difference between selfless leaders and selfish ones. Selfish leaders will fizzle out and be replaced. But when you act selflessly, you are focused on commitment rather than success. High performing teams won’t follow a selfish leader. Knowing the balance between selfish and selfless goals is key. Everybody wants to be the greatest, but few are willing to pay the price. It all comes down to the investments you make each day. You can cultivate this drive over time, it just takes practice.  You have to sacrifice things to get to where you want to be. 

At Conquer Academy, the first step Jeramiah takes with clients is informing them on the importance of increasing vulnerability and having tough conversations with integrity. If you aren’t able to stand up for yourself, you won’t be able to do it for a team. Learn from experience how to end these tough conversations on a positive note. If you’re going to make it to the top, you have to build your life on integrity, leadership and tough conversations. As you begin having more tough conversations, they will begin to get easier each time.  

Timestamps: 

0:00- Nick introduces the episode and today’s guest, Jeramiah Solven. 

4:30 - Discussing the idea behind conquer. 

7:20 - Jeramiah’s overall experience in the military and his decision to leave.