Let Me Speak To A Manager

We continue to follow the meteoric rise of Jeff Bezos and his growing juggernaut of a company. This second part of our series starts with Barnes & Noble threatening to crush Bezos if he doesn't sell out. Like most decisions Bezos makes throughout his career, he calmly rejects that offer and doubles down on his belief that Amazon can change the landscape of American business. From tech startup to the largest company in the world, we dive into the growing pains and changes Amazon needed to make with people and strategy to create a business that changed the world.

We’re suckers for a good “rags to riches” origin story of a scrappy founder stepping out into the abyss. What makes the story of Jeff Bezos and Amazon so intriguing is how comfortable Bezos had it when he went all-in on this company. In this first part of two episodes, Frank and Ian work through the early days of Amazon and find dozens of parallel lessons for any ambitious person looking to build a career.

“The Everything Store” is a fascinating look into an American business icon and we break down every juicy bit in this two-part series.

Frank recalls the story of Owen Meany, a character in a book he read as a young man that somewhat imperfectly explains how hidden talents emerge when you least suspect them. In this episode, we talk about the importance of practice and repetition to master any skill professionally or personally.

In this episode:

· Past behaviors are an accurate predictor of future performance

· Skills translate across industries and from company to company

· Go where a company values (and pays) for your specific skillsets

· Your performance certainly won't speak for itself (you need to be a marketer)

· Get results, but do it in your unique way

· You can't expect to catch much fish with only one hook in the water

"No enemy is worse than bad advice."

~Sophocles

In a culture where anyone can publish anything with no more experience than an internet connection, certain platitudes are taken as gospel. With thousands of "life coaches" posting advice, the same tired advice gets repurposed ad nauseam. In this episode, Frank Cava and Ian Mathews take a contrarian stance on some commonly accepted wisdom.

In this episode:

· Maybe you shouldn't "follow your passion"

· Hard work alone has a ceiling

· Translating what a manager really means when they say you should "be patient"

· What goes unspoken when someone tells you that "you can be anything you want to be"

· Why balance is only a function of your ambition

· How to explain a short stint on your resume

· If you don't toot your own horn, who will?

· No one wants to hear how things were done in your old company

When you need to be productive, what type of music does it for you?

Ian bangs out hip hop while Frankie hee-haws along to the banjo. This argument has gone nowhere for years but that all changes with this episode!

Your fearless co-hosts each pick five of their favorite songs for career inspiration. Two men enter this podcast, but only one emerges victorious. Follow along as they break down classics from Biggie, Charlie Daniels, Tupac, and Alan Jackson, pulling career lessons from classic lyrics.

 "Our ego is our silent partner--too often with a controlling interest."

~Cullen Hightower

The mere mention of the word ego conjures images of self-loving, selfish maniacs who would stop at nothing to bolster their own self-image. Here we make the clear distinction between ego, a person's self-esteem, and an egotist, a person wholly consumer with self-importance. Without the ego, there would be no success. What would drive us to fight through resistance, to risk failure, to persevere? We look at how a person can use their ego aspirationally without letting success get to our heads.

In this episode:

• Why parents act like fools at youth sports games
• The absurdity of big egos in large companies
• Why ego tends to show itself once you've had success
• Leaders who say "I" when things go poorly and "we" when things go well
• Why sacred cows exist in organizations
• The higher up you move in an organization, the fewer pats on the back you should expect
• How Frank knew he wasn't getting a big tip at Outback Steakhouse
• How to convince yourself you are still the underdog
• Why we still freak out about posting videos online
• A lack of ego can be just as a big of a problem as an ego out of control

The coach of an NFL football team hired a strength and conditioning coach, and all hell broke loose. Frank Cava and Ian Mathews break down how this questionable decision went horribly wrong and play Monday morning quarterback on what the Jacksonville Jaguars and head coach Urban Meyer could have done differently.

"Fredo, you're my brother, and I love you. But don't ever take sides with anyone against the Family again. Ever."

~Michael Corleone

This is the climactic conclusion of our leadership series on the most famous crime family in cinematic history. We bring this trilogy home in style, all the way up to Michael's big finish during the baptism.

In this episode:

· The cold truth about getting a new manager

· Only fools (like Moe Greene) get emotional when negotiating

· Has your mentor been through enough battles to be your "Consigliere?"

· The one time a manager won't ever give you a second chance

· It is easy to let power go to your head

· All new leaders want to put their personal stamp on a business

"I don't like violence, Tom. I'm a businessman. Blood is a big expense."

~Sollozzo

Act II of our homage to an all-time classic is filled with drama, suspense, and succession planning! Frank and Ian continue to pull lessons from the Corleone family business in Part 2 of our podcast trilogy.

In this episode:

• How to reject someone with dignity like Don Corleone
• "Leave the gun, take the cannoli" and "Happy wife, happy life" go hand in hand
• "It's not personal, it's strictly business" ... but is it?
• Great salespeople do take it personally
• Payback can be a great motivator

We dig into the mania behind the Reddit mob fighting against Wall Street short-sellers and compare it to other bubbles and manias. In particular, we see a close connection with the dotcom bubble and real estate crash of 2007.