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Average Is the Floor, Not the Ceiling | EP52
What if success wasn't magic, but a repeatable science you could learn from astronauts and Olympians?
On this episode of Inside the C-Suite, Christy connects with Dr. Ruth Gotian - Chief Learning Officer at Cornell University, a top executive coach, and a social scientist obsessed with deconstructing success. Dr. Gotian has spent years getting inside the heads of the world's highest achievers—from astronauts to NBA champions—to find out what they know that the rest of us don't. She’s the person who asks the questions no one else does and comes back with a playbook that turns ambition into achievement.
They unpack:
The Four Elements of Success – Breaking down the operating system of high achievers: intrinsic motivation, resilience, foundational habits, and relentless learning.
Aiming Higher than Average – Why the language of "benchmarks" and "medians" limits our potential and how to make average the floor, not the ceiling.
Mentorship vs. "Tormentors" – The difference between a true mentor who elevates you and a toxic "tormentor" who stalls your career—and how to find the right people for your corner.
The Community of Practice – Why your most powerful allies are often your peers and how to build a support system with people who truly get it.
Leading High Achievers – How to spot, retain, and develop the top performers on your team by investing in their curiosity instead of just managing their performance.
The Art of the Interview – A behind-the-scenes look at how Dr. Gotian gets the world's most successful people to say yes and share the stories they've never told before.
If you've ever wondered if you have what it takes to reach the next level, this conversation is your permission slip and your roadmap. Dr. Gotian proves that the world's highest achievers aren't a different species—they just have a different operating system.
And it’s one you can install today.
Chapters:
00:00:00 - Welcome Dr. Ruth Gotian
00:01:50 - Obsessed with Success: The Subway Story
00:06:11 - How to Get Interviews with High Achievers
00:12:18 - How to Identify Superstars in Your Organization
00:18:41 - The Four Elements of Success
00:25:29 - Building Mentorship Programs
00:34:02 - Networking & Conversation Starters
00:42:19 - Recommendations for Micro-Learning
| Connect with Us |
Follow Ruth Gotian:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgotian/
Website: https://www.ruthgotian.com/
Twitter: https://x.com/ruthgotian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthgotian/
Read Ruth's Books:
The Success Factor
Financial Times Guide to Mentoring
Find them here: https://www.ruthgotian.com/books
Free Resources from Ruth:
Success Assessment: Discover your strengths and areas for growth with this free assessment based on Dr. Gotian's research.
https://www.ruthgotian.com/assessment
Conversation Starters: Download 13 of her favorite conversation starters to build authentic connections.
https://www.ruthgotian.com/conversation
(Dr. Ruth Gotian is a leadership expert recognized by Thinkers50 as the world's #1 emerging management thinker. She was also named one of the top 50 executive coaches in the world, one of the top 20 mentors in the world, and LinkedIn's Top Mentoring Voice. Her work is based on decades of research into the habits of high achievers, including Nobel laureates, astronauts, and Olympic champions. Dr. Gotian is the author of The Success Factor and the Financial Times Guide to Mentoring and has been published in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and Fast Company.)
Follow Inside the C-Suite:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cwiseman/
Subscribe on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/2gk39EvNtXLVHuAbp7tr6b
Subscribe on Apple – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-c-suite/id1739883160
Want to be on the show or know someone who might?
Contact Form – https://forms.gle/B1fVXPSV6b3x3AsS9
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
View all episodes
By WRKdefinedWhat if success wasn't magic, but a repeatable science you could learn from astronauts and Olympians?
On this episode of Inside the C-Suite, Christy connects with Dr. Ruth Gotian - Chief Learning Officer at Cornell University, a top executive coach, and a social scientist obsessed with deconstructing success. Dr. Gotian has spent years getting inside the heads of the world's highest achievers—from astronauts to NBA champions—to find out what they know that the rest of us don't. She’s the person who asks the questions no one else does and comes back with a playbook that turns ambition into achievement.
They unpack:
The Four Elements of Success – Breaking down the operating system of high achievers: intrinsic motivation, resilience, foundational habits, and relentless learning.
Aiming Higher than Average – Why the language of "benchmarks" and "medians" limits our potential and how to make average the floor, not the ceiling.
Mentorship vs. "Tormentors" – The difference between a true mentor who elevates you and a toxic "tormentor" who stalls your career—and how to find the right people for your corner.
The Community of Practice – Why your most powerful allies are often your peers and how to build a support system with people who truly get it.
Leading High Achievers – How to spot, retain, and develop the top performers on your team by investing in their curiosity instead of just managing their performance.
The Art of the Interview – A behind-the-scenes look at how Dr. Gotian gets the world's most successful people to say yes and share the stories they've never told before.
If you've ever wondered if you have what it takes to reach the next level, this conversation is your permission slip and your roadmap. Dr. Gotian proves that the world's highest achievers aren't a different species—they just have a different operating system.
And it’s one you can install today.
Chapters:
00:00:00 - Welcome Dr. Ruth Gotian
00:01:50 - Obsessed with Success: The Subway Story
00:06:11 - How to Get Interviews with High Achievers
00:12:18 - How to Identify Superstars in Your Organization
00:18:41 - The Four Elements of Success
00:25:29 - Building Mentorship Programs
00:34:02 - Networking & Conversation Starters
00:42:19 - Recommendations for Micro-Learning
| Connect with Us |
Follow Ruth Gotian:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgotian/
Website: https://www.ruthgotian.com/
Twitter: https://x.com/ruthgotian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthgotian/
Read Ruth's Books:
The Success Factor
Financial Times Guide to Mentoring
Find them here: https://www.ruthgotian.com/books
Free Resources from Ruth:
Success Assessment: Discover your strengths and areas for growth with this free assessment based on Dr. Gotian's research.
https://www.ruthgotian.com/assessment
Conversation Starters: Download 13 of her favorite conversation starters to build authentic connections.
https://www.ruthgotian.com/conversation
(Dr. Ruth Gotian is a leadership expert recognized by Thinkers50 as the world's #1 emerging management thinker. She was also named one of the top 50 executive coaches in the world, one of the top 20 mentors in the world, and LinkedIn's Top Mentoring Voice. Her work is based on decades of research into the habits of high achievers, including Nobel laureates, astronauts, and Olympic champions. Dr. Gotian is the author of The Success Factor and the Financial Times Guide to Mentoring and has been published in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and Fast Company.)
Follow Inside the C-Suite:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cwiseman/
Subscribe on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/2gk39EvNtXLVHuAbp7tr6b
Subscribe on Apple – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-c-suite/id1739883160
Want to be on the show or know someone who might?
Contact Form – https://forms.gle/B1fVXPSV6b3x3AsS9
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices