Paper Napkin Wisdom · Leadership & Entrepreneurship Insights for Founders and Executives

Power is an interesting concept. Few other nouns evoke such a visceral response quite like the five letter word. Today's Paper Napkin Wisdom guest has a unique take on power and has used this philosophy to guide his organization, Accountability Lab. "The best thing you can do with power is give it away," says Blair Glencorse.

While many people seek to "change the world" by gaining power through political or economic means, Blair notes that the people who actually inspire change are those who give their power away. "I believe we are all powerful in our own way," he muses. His organization works with young people across the world in an effort to make governments more accountable. "We help people generate accountability from the bottom up, through guiding them into realizing and channeling that power," he says. He believes this system will help change governments.

Citing his film school in Liberia, Blair explains how marginalized people often have more power than they realize, "We often look at [them] from a Western perspective, which is not always the most accurate." Through his work with the film school, students not only find their voices – they discover creative outlets for it.

This output inspires change through the creation of educational videos, such as a recent PSA which highlights the country's sexual harassment problem. "Giving them the power to articulate their voices helps spark discussions on how to improve policies on both a micro and macro level," he says. The group has even started Integrity Idol, a series where regular citizens nominate honest government officials. After the nominations all trickle in, people are able to vote for their favorite, authentic official.

While some people often pair accountability with consequences, Blair looks to celebrate integrity, posing that it's "not necessarily a consequence for things going wrong, it's a celebration for things going right." In terms of corporate application, he also believes that leaders should seek to create "integrity idols" within their own organizations – "Companies must champion these values. It can shift the culture of an organization."

He stresses that it's important to discover what your team members are interested in and find ways to incorporate accountability in an authentic day. In Liberia, he regularly works with rappers in order to promote positive messages, but in their own voice. "You have to help them recognize the power they already have."

What are some ways you can incorporate accountability into your company culture? Sound off on our Twitter @WiseNapkin

Read the full show notes and blog post: https://www.papernapkinwisdom.com/post/ep-154-celebrate-accountability-blair-glencorse-social-entrepreneur

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Each week I'll post a short podcast, usually between 3 to 5 minutes long, just talking about how to apply the Paper Napkin Wisdom 5 Step Plan to Life and Business Success in an everyday kind of way.

This week we continued to roll out a new product in one of my companies and the feedback has been great! In fact most of the time people are surprised we haven't been around for years. But there's no secret to how we did this – we practiced and practiced and practiced our pitch, story, and value proposition before taking it to the world.

Listen in and I share how you can do the same in your business.

Read the full show notes and blog post: https://www.papernapkinwisdom.com/post/week-in-review-7-practice-and-prepare-to-win

Listen to Paper Napkin Wisdom:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paper-napkin-wisdom-leadership-entrepreneurship-insights/id735345903

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Now that football season is back in full swing in the U.S., there's no better time to discuss scrimmaging. However, we're not talking about the traditional sports term in today's podcast. Author and Motivational Speaker, Nathan Jamail recently released "The Leadership Playbook", a guide which discusses the importance of coaching employees versus managing them.

A common theme in the book is the importance of scrimmaging. "Scrimmaging is getting into character to prepare for an upcoming event, while roleplaying is an exercise to see what you learn and/or know. Teams scrimmage to prepare for games. If you don't learn how to scrimmage, you're not getting the full effect of practice," he says.

The idea of role playing can be intimidating for many members in Corporate America. However, Nathan believes this is due to the intent. He suggests swapping out roleplaying with scrimmaging. In sports, teams use scrimmage to not only practice, but to try out new techniques prior to Game Day. "It's the time where you get to do what you think is right and test things out. When you create a culture of scrimmage, you'll realize that your team will actually begin to have fun doing it," he says.

Nathan first stumbled across this philosophy as a sales rep for a pager company in the 90s. He and his co-worker would have role-playing exercises to prepare for a long day of cold calling. A few years later, his friend (now boss) began to mandate role-playing. Many employees voiced fear due to the inherent judgmental nature of role-playing. However, in a scrimmage environment, the results shift. "I noticed that in a scrimmage culture, people are truly getting better, as opposed to role-play culture," Nathan remarks, "The biggest difference that, when sustained, it becomes a way to communicate, as opposed to an activity."

Nathan's first philosophy of leadership (and most recent book) asserts that managers need to approach management like coaching. "In management, we spend time with people who need the attention. In coaching, we spend time with people who deserve the attention. In sports, players thrive for the coach's attention. If we only spend times with people who need the attention, our attention turns into a consequence of failure.

You can't coach someone who views your involvement as a negative," he says. His second philosophy stems from the understanding that everyone needs training more so than practice. "Practice is getting better at something you already know. Training is learning something new," he remarks. Coaching your employees to become better rather than just gaining more experience is crucial. "I have 20 years of experience golfing and I'm just as horrible as I was 20 years ago," he jokes.

Nathan also believes that management should embrace conflict. "In coaching, we embrace conflict because we know that's the only way to make people better," he says. "In management, if someone isn't able to embrace coaching and a scrimmage mindset, they should be cut from the team."

He concludes his case for scrimmaging by asserting that making it into a practice only helps teams grow and learn. "If you and I scrimmaged before a client meeting, there is a 100% chance we would do better at that meeting. If we didn't scrimmage, nothing would happen. There would be no consequence. Scrimmaging only helps."

Read the full show notes and blog post: https://www.papernapkinwisdom.com/post/ep-153-scrimmaging-your-way-to-success-nathan-jamail-bestselling-author-speaker

Listen to Paper Napkin Wisdom:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paper-napkin-wisdom-leadership-entrepreneurship-insights/id735345903

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Each week I'll post a short podcast, usually between 3 to 5 minutes long, just talking about how to apply the Paper Napkin Wisdom 5 Step Plan to Life and Business Success in an everyday kind of way.

I had the opportunity to sit beside someone who was a Member of the Million Miles Club on a plane this week and we had an great conversation about the use of knowledge, technology, and leadership around the world. He spends a lot of time traveling to Asia, Europe, and elsewhere marketing innovative technologies around the world.

His key point – knowledge was becoming near valueless. Instead, execution, collaboration, communication, and connection are becoming increasingly valuable.

Listen in and find out why.

Read the full show notes and blog post: https://www.papernapkinwisdom.com/post/week-in-review-6-wisdom-from-the-million-mile-club

Listen to Paper Napkin Wisdom:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paper-napkin-wisdom-leadership-entrepreneurship-insights/id735345903

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We have all been there. Feeling caged and unable to move forward due to real or perceived fears. But what if you realized that the cage was unlocked, and all you had to do was walk out? Zahra Al-Harazi, founder of Foundry Communications and UNICEF's Canadian Ambassador, explains how entrepreneurs can overcome these boundaries. "There's no lock on the cage," she says, "No matter what cage you place yourself in or where others may put you, there's never a lock there."

Growing up in Yemen, she didn't always subscribe to this idea. She moved to Canada with her children in 1996, where she became a stay at home mom. "I didn't have any ambition and didn't think I could really do much," she admits. Upon realizing that this feeling wasn't a regional thing, she began to think of ways to overcome it.

Fear had been holding her back from a variety of things, but she decided she didn't have to be stuck there. She went on to live by this and share this philosophy at conferences and seminars across North America. Although she was mildly acrophobic, she took up a friend's offer to go skydiving. "I threw up as soon as I landed," she laughs, "But I did it."

In order to escape the "cage", Zahra found value in developing core values for herself and her business. "By developing these values and exemplifying them in everything you do, it allows you to live a more free life," she says. For example, one of her core values states simply 'Be Curious'. By consciously living that principle, she allows room for her curiosity to reign supreme and lead her to places where she may have once been afraid to go. "The fear never leaves. But you learn to work around it," she says.

Another way to escape this fear is to overcome the reluctance to ask for assistance. "I have thirty mentors. I go to people for different things I need help with," she says. When she was first starting out, she began to cultivate a tribe by asking for help.

"I learned how to be vulnerable and using that vulnerability to get out of this cage," she recalls. When asked if she's sometimes afraid to ask for help because she doesn't want to "weak" or "ill-informed", she admits that she does have these feelings sometimes. "However, I've learned that vulnerability can be contagious," she says.

A tribe is undoubtedly the strongest tool in any entrepreneurs' arsenal. When it comes to networking and discovering that tribe, she recommends that people develop a UVP (unique value proposition) and learn how to be of service to others in an authentic way. Additionally, she urges others to never discount someone prematurely, "Everyone has something to bring to the table."

What "cage" have you locked yourself in? Is there a certain person that could help you get out of that cage? What can you bring to the table to overcome these fears? Let us know by Tweeting us at @Wisenapkin

Read the full show notes and blog post: https://www.papernapkinwisdom.com/post/ep-152-there-s-no-lock-on-the-cage-zahra-al-harazi-entrepreneur-speaker

Listen to Paper Napkin Wisdom:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paper-napkin-wisdom-leadership-entrepreneurship-insights/id735345903

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Each week I'll post a short podcast, usually between 3 to 5 minutes long, just talking about how to apply the Paper Napkin Wisdom 5 Step Plan to Life and Business Success in an everyday kind of way.

I was lucky enough to be able to participate in one of the largest entrepreneur events in the world recently. While there, I met with and heard hundreds of entrepreneurs pitching their world-changing ideas. Some truly could change the world.

The problem with many of them though seemed to be that they were pitching to the wrong group. What they needed to do is get out there and get some customers! Incubators, however, seem more interested in grooming entrepreneurs to pitch to VCs, Private Equity, Angel Investors, and other Incubators.

Read the full show notes and blog post: https://www.papernapkinwisdom.com/post/week-in-review-5-apparently-this-is-a-crazy-idea

Listen to Paper Napkin Wisdom:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paper-napkin-wisdom-leadership-entrepreneurship-insights/id735345903

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255,207. Search "leadership" in Amazon and that's the number of publications that will come up. With the plethora of ideas out there, is it possible to get to the heart of what leadership truly is? Val Jon Farris, CEO of Diamius Multinational Consulting Firm thinks so. With over two decades of experience conducting leadership development programs, he recalls that the more classes and seminars leaders go to, the more jaded they become.

"It diverts them from their innate knowledge of leadership. Doing a leader is not being a leader," he says. Without an internal "leadership" compass, an abundance of misdirected actions can occur. Leadership is more than a checklist of best practices and lists. In this podcast, Val explains his thoughts behind this theory.

Having an innate understanding of what it means to be a leader is a major key to leadership success. "Leadership needs to be intentional and inherent," he says, "The only person you can ever truly lead is yourself." While he does not believe that everyone has a "leader" inside of them, he does believe that some people can take this approach to cultivate their inner trailblazer.

He stumbled upon this approach while working under the mentorship of inventor and world class engineer, Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller. Bucky believed in taking care of "Spaceship Earth" and all inhabitants of it. Val took this to heart and, over time, began to slowly shift his leadership style from "critic" to "education". "I realized that things worked better when I put my pride aside and focused on making things work," he recalls.

A second revelation occurred while he was ice climbing Mt. Shasta with some friends. After nearly falling to his death, he refused help from his fellow climbers. After taking a moment to step back, he realized that his ego was preventing him to getting the help he desperately needed at that moment. In fact, it was putting his entire team in needless danger.

"In that moment, I realized that I needed to move away from my ego – which was denying the help from my team, and move towards how I really felt—scared, shaken up and in need of assistance," he says.

Listening to yourself and allowing your heart to influence your leadership decision is a crucial part of gaining your teams trust. Additionally, it provides space for others to flex their leadership skills. He calls this concept 'holding space for someone'.

"I like to give my team space, while investing in them to be their very best. They'll do so in their own way. They just need to know that you're supporting them."

What do you think about Val Farris' theory? What's driving the core of your leadership? Tweet us @WiseNapkin with your answers!

Read the full show notes and blog post: https://www.papernapkinwisdom.com/post/ep-151-the-heart-of-who-val-jon-farris-entrepreneur-coach-mentor

Listen to Paper Napkin Wisdom:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paper-napkin-wisdom-leadership-entrepreneurship-insights/id735345903

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ejOegCltch4RZsqCRKUm3

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Each week I'll post a short podcast, usually between 3 to 5 minutes long, just talking about how to apply the Paper Napkin Wisdom 5 Step Plan to Life and Business Success in an everyday kind of way.

Following up on the bad news of a few weeks ago, things didn't get better. I got some very tough breaks that blindsided me in business and life. It's been a challenge to see the silver lining on the clouds of the last couple weeks.

What made it easier has been my Forum, my Mastermind group – my group of peers. There's strength in finding people to help you unpack the challenges of life. I share how it's helped me find my way in the last couple weeks.

Read the full show notes and blog post: https://www.papernapkinwisdom.com/post/week-in-review-4-strength-in-numbers

Listen to Paper Napkin Wisdom:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paper-napkin-wisdom-leadership-entrepreneurship-insights/id735345903

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ejOegCltch4RZsqCRKUm3

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Have you ever nearly tripped over a milestone or a goal because you were focused on the bigger prize?

That happened at Paper Napkin Wisdom and we nearly let the 150th Episode go by without any recognition of what we've learned and done over the last 3 years.

In that time we've collected more than a thousand paper napkins, done hundreds of interviews, released a book, and TENS of thousands of you have subscribed and listened to the podcast.

Since we were looking forward, however, we almost forgot to look back and see just how far we've come.

What happened next is incredible ... I asked our Contributors to come back and share what has changed for them, if anything, since they shared their wisdom with us. I wasn't sure if I'd get one or two folks. I was overwhelmed to get 11 contributors come back and join us.

The content here defies a write-up ... it requires a listen.

There are three easy ways to sign up for the Paper Napkin Wisdom Podcast: 1. via iTunes at - https://goo.gl/J9lpnk 2. via Google at - https://goo.gl/7yo17X 3. via Stitcher at - http://goo.gl/OpZIni or via www.PaperNapkinWisdom.com

In addition, this podcast launches the the vlog video version of Paper Napkin Wisdom so we recorded the live stream of the 150th Podcast Episode recording.

Join me as I talk to some of the world's most incredible entrepreneurs, leaders, and difference-makers and they share pearls of wisdom around faith, family, growth, people (teams), momentum, vulnerability, authenticity, resilience and success.

You can see the video on our YouTube Channel here.

Don't forget to get the book!

Each week I'll post a short podcast, usually between 3 to 5 minutes long, just talking about how to apply the Paper Napkin Wisdom 5 Step Plan to Life and Business Success in an everyday kind of way.

This week I share an experience from this week. I was dealt a huge blow late this week. It was a public failure – and to some degree very embarrassing on the surface. I share how taking responsibility for it has helped me evolve, learn, and grow remarkably quickly. I'm ready for the next time, and no worries, there is always a next time!

How do you respond to challenges and adversity?

How do you get ready for the next opportunity?

Read the full show notes and blog post: https://www.papernapkinwisdom.com/post/week-in-review-3-take-responsibility-over-blame

Listen to Paper Napkin Wisdom:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paper-napkin-wisdom-leadership-entrepreneurship-insights/id735345903

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ejOegCltch4RZsqCRKUm3

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@papernapkinwisdom

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