Just like bamboo, David Rae, has strong roots. Rae, a co-founder of 503 Creative and mastermind behind TEDx Portland, shares with us the importance of having the appropriate mental state for success in leadership and business, how he developed a long-term view to everything he does in business and in life, and the challenges of strengthening relationships during the health crisis. 

You won’t want to miss this refreshingly honest and vulnerable conversation with one of Portland, Oregon’s top leaders, Dave Rae.

Episode Contents:

• 02:20 - How David and his team built TEDx Portland form the ground up
• 04:28 - How David developed his long-term view perspective
• 06:57 - Why success is messy, and the “overnight success” is a myth
• 08:16 - Why feedback from the people you trust is so important to success
• 09:48 - Asking for help
• 11:01 - Overcoming self-doubt
• 13:37 - How David brings diversity to the TEDx Portland event every year
• 18:29 - Typical day for David, and his approach to tackling the most challenging tasks
• 21:19 - How David stays in shape
• 22:25 - David’s proudest accomplishment
• 25:39 - David’s approach to building relationships
• 28:13 - Advice David would give his 15-year-old self
• 30:29 - What’s going well for David
• 33:20 - The area of David’s life he’s most frustrated with
• 36:11 - Communicating in the COVID-19 environment
• 38:01 - How David’s business is handling events in the COVID-19 environment

Guest at a Glance

David Rae, President and Co-Founder of 503 Creative. He and his team are the masterminds behind TEDx Portland, one of the largest events in the world. He also is a former Nike executive.

Notable Quotes

• David Rae on TEDx Portland: “...it became evident after year-one, year-two, that we’re in a rocketship here, and this is going to really go.”
• David Rae on long-term planning: “The tension for me is growth. The push and pull with having a long-term view versus what’s happening right now and what baby steps, what things can I do today for things to manifest down the road.”
• David Rae on patience: “When I have my worst days, it’s because I probably wasn’t patient enough. I didn’t let things go.”
• David Rae on success: “If you have entrepreneurial DNA, you're going to get dirty. You're going to get messy because you're figuring things out as you go.”
• David Rae on teamwork: “Things are always better when there are more people around the table, building something together.”
• David Rae on making decisions: “It's my job to make the call at the end of the day, but it's totally informed by consensus and independent, critical thinking with the team that I have around me.”
• David Rae on vision and creativity: “I think that creativity is all around us at all times. You just have to have your eyes open.”
• Greg Bell: “Relationships will get you all the results you want.”

Learn more about Greg Bell

 

More than just a motivational speaker, Greg Bell is a Portland, Oregon based thought leader, business consultant, and leadership coach. His popular books, What’s Going Well? and Water The Bamboo: Unleashing The Potential Of Teams And Individuals, have inspired an array of organizations, from Fortune 500 companies like Nike, Disney and Comcast, to the Portland Trail Blazers and Division I NCAA athletic teams like the Oregon Ducks Football and the Gonzaga Bulldogs Basketball. 

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