Kick-A$$ with Klaas Podcast

Kick-A$$ with Klaas Podcast

By KlaasSociety & CulturePhilosophy
Download on the App Store

Kick-A$$ with Klaas Podcast episodes

  • Show up, Shut up, Speak up: Parcells, presence, patience, and the upwork of puttin' it out there
    In this episode, we explore the power (and opportunity) of showing up, even when we don't want to. We'll lean upon the lesson of NFL coach Bill Parcells and his line, 'availability is the best ability' as it sets the tone for the power of showing up for opportunities, keeping our mouths shut as we assess before we speak and pushing conversations forward by saying the things that need to be said.
    12 min
  • the LOVE effect: Jordan Love, Good Deeds, & the Science of Kindness on Performance
    Maybe this is the scientific proof we needed that shows the correlation between good deeds and good performance at work. Last week, Green Bay Quarterback Jordan Love dominated social media two days before he dominated the Dallas Cowboys. But why? Because in the middle of a Wisconsin blizzard and just two days before the biggest game of his career, he was found pulling over to help a stranger push their car out of a snowdrift. We all love a random act of kindness and typically chalk it up to a good person, doing good things. In this case though, we couldn't help but wonder if this random act of kindness was a predictor of Jordan Love's on-field successful performance against the much higher seeded Dallas Cowboys.
    In this episode, we explore not only the background of Jordan Love and his path to unexpected stardom (on-field/off-field) but also the surprising science that just so happens to support the connection between good deeds and good performance.
    18 min
  • It's a Wonderful Life, even when it's not
    Despite traditional perception, 'It's a Wonderful Life' is a dark movie.   It's the story of a man seeped in bitterness, resentment, and jealously. He's known to fly into fits of rage. Though a father, husband, and community leader, he thinks the world would be better had he never been born. Ultimately, he attempts suicide. Interestingly, the movie's star, Jimmy Stewart was also struggling in his real life. Already one of Hollywood's biggest stars before the war, he left for Germany just months after winning an Academy Award for The Philadelphia Story. He was 34. He returned three years later, looking 50 years old,  his body the victim of guilt, trauma and near starvation. In today's episode, we'll dive in to the many lessons of the classic film and why it's so important as we continue to battle an epidemic of mental health.
    18 min
  • On Strength & Strategy: Aaron Rodgers, The Greeks, and the Achilles Connection

    Did you ever consider the striking parallels between Aaron Rodgers’ injury, the sudden crash of the in the New York Jets' 2023 season, and hero to the Greeks during the Trojan War, Achilles? Well, I did and in today’s episode, we’re exploring how vulnerabilities impact success. We’ll also discover crucial strategies for enduring triumph. From guarding against overconfidence to making strategic decisions, we’ll dive into the essence of resilience. Buckle up as we unravel the lessons of ancient Greek mythology and their application in sports, work, and life.

    As you’re getting ready to listen, ask yourself:

    • Who or what is your Achilles (your greatest strength)
    • Who or what is your Achilles' heel (your biggest vulnerability)
    • How would you adapt and emerge victorious if your vulnerability were exposed

      • Tune in for valuable insights on strength, strategy, and self-reflection.

      Be sure to check out the blog on the topic as well. You can find it here: https://moreklaas.com/f/on-strength-strategy-aaron-rodgers-and-the-ancient-greeks


      19 min
    • Rickie Fowler and Redefining Failure
      What is failure? By definition, it's 'omission of performance'. Over the last 4 and a half years, one of the formerly best golfers in the world experienced a lot of failure. But then a funny thing happened, life started bringing a lot of success to Rickie Fowler and it's here that we can start to see the lessons of how we perform when performance in one area is struggling but the demands of another bring out our best. In today's episode we'll explore the fall and rise of Rickie Fowler and how we can use his story to redefine failure.
      16 min
    • Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda: Done Different is Forward Thinking

      It’s easy to get trapped in the woulda, coulda, shoulda's of life, especially when times don’t go as we would have hoped. A relationship scarred, a job lost, an opportunity missed. The list could go on and on and unfortunately, so does our head:
      I shoulda done __ different
      I coulda done __ different
      I woulda done __ different
      It’s not that self-critique isn't important, it is. The danger is confusing controlled reflection with dwelling in regret to the point of not being able to use the lessons of yesterday for the challenges of tomorrow.

      In today's episode, we explore the danger of regret, the power of reflection, and how 'what we could have done different' is forward thinking.

      9 min
    • Lessons from Lasso: feelings and friendship, leadership and life
      Season (and series) finale of the fantastic Ted Lasso is out and we've got some thoughts. What is the theme of Ted Lasso? Are we boxing in the lessons of Lasso to just that of one-liners on leadership? If you ask me, the genius of Ted Lasso is due to the exploration of friendship and how when friendships are former, vulnerability is explore. Where vulnerability is acted, grace is received. Where grace is received, new leaders rise. In today's episode, we're going to explore the lasting lessons of Ted Lasso.
      15 min
    • Authority + Access, a recipe for A+ leadership

      The moment you take on a leadership position, you are granted two unique powers: AUTHORITY and ACCESS. How you utilize each will define your leadership style. In today's episode, we're exploring the unique powers and burdens that all new leaders carry. What is Authority? Is it good or bad? What is access? Who and what makes it valuable as a leadership asset? 

      This is season 3 and we couldn't be more excited about your continued support! Authority + Access

      9 min
    • It's a Wonderful Life, even when it's not
      Despite traditional perception, 'It's a Wonderful Life' is a dark movie.   It's the story of a man seeped in bitterness, resentment, and jealously. He's known to fly into fits of rage. Though a father, husband, and community leader, he thinks the world would be better had he never been born. Ultimately, he attempts suicide. Interestingly, the movie's star, Jimmy Stewart was also struggling in his real life. Already one of Hollywood's biggest stars before the war, he left for Germany just months after winning an Academy Award for The Philadelphia Story. He was 34. He returned three years later, looking 50 years old,  his body the victim of guilt, trauma and near starvation. In today's episode, we'll dive in to the many lessons of the classic film and why it's so important as we continue to battle an epidemic of mental health.
      14 min
    • Just Keep Swimming: Lessons for life, layoffs, and finding Nemo

      'Just Keep Swimming', perhaps one of the most popular lines in all of film from the last 20 years. As we work through another month of difficult economic conditions as well as witness another 46,000 people lose their jobs in the month of November alone, there's no better time than to revisit the lessons of a naive fish with short-term memory loss. On this episode of the Kick a$$ w/Klaas podcast, we're doing just that as well as take a trip down memory lane to some of the forks in the road from our own journey. 

      If you find yourself at a moment of forced pause such as a lay-off or you simply sense that danger is on the horizon, it's going to be important to keep your momentum despite the current pulling you in all the directions other than where you want to go. You may get lost. You may encounter danger. You may get an unexpected side-kick that irritates the heck out of you but... also happens to be the positive force that keeps you sane in an otherwise insanely frustrating time. 

      This is what we're hoping to learn from Dory and this episode: 'Just Keep Swimming: Lessons for life and layoffs from the words of a fish' 

      24 min

    About Kick-A$$ with Klaas Podcast

    From the publisher's feed

    On the Kick-A$$ w/Klaas podcast, we take a deep dive into the topics that kick-a$$ professionals are drowning in, from crummy leadership and unfulfilling roles to the ever unbalanced pendulum of work and the needs of our loved ones. Part leadership development, part personal. Either way, we're breathing life into the all important theme: You don't have to be an a$$ to kick-a$$!