Start With A Win

Rex Tibbens is the president and CEO of Frontdoor which is the parent company to several home warranty brands, including American Home Shield. He is former chief operating officer of Lyft and the former vice president at Amazon, where he led the technical and product development of Prime Now, Amazon’s one-hour delivery service. Now, he is bringing his former tech leadership into the traditionally lower-tech home warranty industry.

Adam and Rex open the conversation by talking about Frontdoor and how the company is working hard to serve the homeowner of the 21st Century through innovation and forward thinking. Throughout his career, no matter the company or industry, Rex’s number-one priority has been obsessing about customers. He knows that customers are the ones who choose your business and decide whether you’re worth sticking with or taking their business elsewhere. 

Rex also believes in running toward the big problems. He says the leaders who want to step into the fire and solve the problems are the ones who rise to the top. And when you are a leader who runs toward the problems, you have to be okay if you get knocked down. 

Rex shares how you can grow when you encounter defeat or problems as a leader. It’s important to take a step back, think about what transpired and how you would do it differently the next time. Growing through adversity as a leader is how you build trust within your company and among your employees. And that’s also how you develop employee retention. Because people don’t leave organizations, they leave leaders. 

A common misconception of leaders when it comes to problem solving is that they always have to be the one with the answers. But the truth is, you don’t have to be the one with the solution. It’s your job to hire good people, build them up, and then trust them to come up with the solutions.

When working with his leadership team, Rex says that he will often come at a problem as if he is wrong. He shares that the higher up you are within an organization, the more filtered the information is that you have, and you often don’t have the context you need. So you have to ask probing questions in an understanding manner. His approach is always trust, but verify. Allow your team to challenge you as much as you challenge them.

Rex and Adam round out the conversation by talking about the transitions Rex has made throughout his career and the advice he has for leaders who are looking to make a major change in jobs or industries. What excites you about the opportunity? Once the fanfare ends, what’s the real work you’ll be doing? Does that get you out of bed in the morning?

Episode Links:

https://www.frontdoorhome.com

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After nearly 20 years with RE/MAX, and four years as the CEO, Adam Contos is turning the page on a successful chapter of his life. In this very special episode of Start With A Win, Adam is joined by Producer Mark and another very special guest, Kelly Contos—his wife!

The three talk about Adam’s time with RE/MAX and the lessons he’s learned and the company’s achievements over the years.

One of the things Adam has taken from his time around the RE/MAX agent family is that hunger causes success. You can achieve anything you want to achieve if you put forth the effort on a daily basis. The agents who are growing their businesses are doing it because they’re intentional—which is true no matter what business you’re in! To continue to grow, you have to continue to take risks. And that means doing the habits every day to see the long-term success. 

Mark asks Adam the question that everyone seems to be asking: Why leave now? After a record-breaking 2021 for RE/MAX Holdings, LLC, most people would never expect the CEO of the company to choose to leave. But another thing Adam has learned over the years is that life and leadership is a relay race. In a relay race, the runner with the baton doesn’t pass the baton as they’re slowing down, they speed up to pass it on to their teammate! Adam’s job as the CEO is to create a succession plan that is beneficial to everyone within and around the organization. Running his fastest—at the top of his game—he’s is ready to hand off the baton to the next season of leadership.

What’s next for Adam? He’s ready to take his leadership experience and knowledge to develop the next generation of leaders through coaching and consulting. He has a passion for helping other people and helping them find success. 

But no need to fear! Your favorite podcast, Start With A Win, will live on! We will continue to bring you encouraging, motivational, winning content from Adam and other ground-breaking thought leaders.

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If you're trying to impress someone when you first meet them, the truth is you're about it all wrong! The key is actually to be impressed BY THEM! Ask great questions and be really interested in what they have to say. This will build a bridge to a positive relationship!

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Don Yaeger is a nationally acclaimed inspirational speaker, longtime Associate Editor of Sports Illustrated, author of over 30 books—eleven of which have become New York Times Bestsellers. Today he studies how playing sports shapes Fortune 500 CEOS on his podcast, Corporate Competitor. He has interviewed CEOs of Delta Airlines, Disney, Bank of America, and even ADAM CONTOS!

Don grew up reading Sports Illustrated, so joining that team of talented storytellers was like a dream come true! One thing that quickly became apparent was that within this small community of world-class talent was the complete lack of jealousy among the writers and editors. Everyone viewed each other as a highly respected peer. And throughout his career, Don came to understand that the true greats are comparing themselves against their potential, not other people.

Don also shares the story of the time he played one-on-one against Michael Jordan—and won!

Through years of interviewing some of the greatest athletes of all time, Don realized that what made them successful was not their athleticism. It is their ability to be more mentally, emotionally, spiritually disciplined than their opponents. He shares how their insights can become our lessons in how to manage adversity, fostering teamwork, and how to be a servant leader. 

Adam and Don also dive into the topic of excuses and how they can truly become the killer of leaders. Don shares a favorite quote from his former opponent, Michael Jordan: “A loss is not a failure until you make an excuse.” This is the mindset you see in high performers, whether in athletics or the business world. “Making excuses is human nature, but to be exceptional [is to] defy human nature every day,” said Don.

Excuses—or dwelling on past mistakes—can be difficult to overcome. Don shares the Coach K model of overcoming mistakes, “Next Play.” It’s okay to take time later to reflect on what might have just happened, but you can’t reflect now. 

“It’s more like a West Point thing, like what’s your next mission? So, whenever you got knocked back individually and collectively [as a team], they taught you, ‘OK, next play. What am I going to do next?’” - Mike Krzyzewski

Don encourages listeners to develop a phrase that can remind them that their job is not to dwell on their excuses or the past.

Adam and Don also discuss the importance of communication in leadership. We saw how important this was during COVID-19 and how this crisis actually uncovered some of the cracks in leadership. And we can’t develop that trait in a crisis, it has to be an effort that we’re working on all the time! Because we don’t know what’s ahead of us. 

Episode Links:

Don Yaeger:

https://donyaeger.com

Corporate Competitor Podcast:

https://donyaeger.com/corporate-competitor-podcast/

Coach K’s Next Play Philosophy:

https://www.peaksports.com/sports-psychology-blog/krzyzewskis-next-play-philosophy-for-letting-go-of-mistakes/

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Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour is a former police officer and Marine, and she is America’s first African-American female combat pilot. After serving two tours of duty in Iraq, FlyGirl revved up her career in the private sector as an entrepreneur, consultant to business, and author of Zero to Breakthrough: The 7-Step, Battle-Tested Method for Accomplishing Goals that Matter. As a speaker and executive coach, FlyGirl unleashes hard-hitting advice and amazing anecdotes from her adventures on the battlefield and in business.

As the daughter of a former Marine, FlyGirl’s parents always encouraged her and told her that she could do anything. She took that encouragement to heart, always keeping her eye on what she wanted. At the age of four, she knew she wanted to be a cop that rode a horse downtown. and that’s exactly what she got to do—on a Harley Davidson “steel horse” that is…

But when pursuing your dreams, obstacles are inevitable. And as a black, gay female, FlyGirl doesn’t have to look far for an obstacle to overcome. But throughout her life, she’s learned to view these obstacles through a different lens. She looks to one of her favorite quotes: “Most of the time, opportunities come disguised as an obstacle.” Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich (1936) When people look at her life and see the obstacles she’s overcome, she is quick to remind them that they are just opportunities she’s chosen to take advantage of. 

FlyGirl shares her battle-tested method for achieving your dreams and goals:

1. Create Your Flight Plan
2. Pre-Flight
3. Takeoff
4. Navigating Minefields & Obstacles:
5. Review, Recharge, Re-Attack

Flygirl also talks about her new book coming out in 2023, The Gutsy Move. The gutsy move is found in your gut—your intuition and your instincts. You know in your gut what the gutsy move is, but you have to take action. If you don’t take action, it wasn’t a gutsy move. It was only a gutsy thought!

Episode Links:

https://vernicearmour.com

The Gutsy Move: 5 Tips to Navigate Challenges and Achieve Your Visions and Dreams

https://vernicearmour.ac-page.com/the-gutsy-move

Order your copy of Start With A Win: Tools and Lessons to Create Personal and Business Success:

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Ask yourself these three questions each day, and it will no doubt set you up for success in your day!

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According to a study done by Newsweek and Brand Spark a couple years ago, RE/MAX agents are the most trusted by Americans. Based on the data, consumers want trust, safety and inclusion in the companies they do business with—in that order. In this episode of Start With A Win, Adam unpacks three ways you can build trust with people and in business.

1. Build Positive Relationships

We all have those people in our lives who we call friends, but every time we talk to them, they're gossiping about other people. Which can make you feel like you wouldn’t want to share anything really personal with them because you don’t necessarily trust the communication that occurs in that relationship. Instead, when you have really trustworthy friends, those friends also typically have trustworthy friends. This develops a web of trust going through those relationships.
 
 Positive relationships also come from learning how to resolve conflict in a positive, reciprocal manner. 

2. Develop Good Judgement & Expertise

When people trust you, they're trusting that you make decisions that are mutually in the best interest of the situation. So you can’t one-sided, selfish or an egomaniac. And this doesn’t just affect you; it impacts other people, businesses, employees, your family, your reputation. You have to use good judgment in order to create trust. You're determining what is best for this situation. And often what's best for our situation is an everybody wins outcome.

And then when you've done that, you build expertise, and people trust expertise. Expertise is the culmination of your perspective, your opinions and your ideas based upon past experience. It’s important to develop your expertise by seeking it out—seeking the experience and the knowledge necessary to make you an expert on something.

3. Be Consistent 

If you're an executive in a company, one of the key aspects that your employees seek out is consistency. Why? Because they know what you expect from them. And they know what to do in the company. There's clarity in consistency, and both of those things create trust. 

It’s also about consistently honoring your commitments and promises. And being willing to go above and beyond for people by giving them more than they expect on a consistent basis.

Episode Links:

Order your copy of Start With A Win: Tools and Lessons to Create Personal and Business Success:

https://www.startwithawin.com/book

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Referred to as “the most famous astronaut since Neil Armstrong,” Colonel Chris Hadfield became a household name as the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station. A heavily decorated astronaut, engineer, and pilot, Hadfield’s many awards include the Order of Canada, the Meritorious Service Cross, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. Hadfield is also a bestselling author of four books, an acclaimed musician, and the host of two internationally acclaimed television series, including National Geographic’s “One Strange Rock.”  

The conversation kicks off with stories of Col. Hadfield’s out-of-this-world music career and viral performances, including his cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” performed on the International Space Station.

Col. Hadfield also talks about the moment he was inspired to become an astronaut as he watched the first steps being taken on the moon back in 1969 as a young boy. As a fan of science fiction and all things space, it was like watching fantasy come to life. It was that moment when he made the conscious decision at 9 years old to become an astronaut—and he’s been working toward (and achieving) that goal ever since.

When it comes to developing habits to achieve your dreams, Col. Hadfield believes it begins with having a few “right on the edge of crazy” goals you want to accomplish in life. You always have to have dreams or something you’re trying to accomplish. If you don’t know what your goal is, how do you decide what you’re going to do next? 

Then do personal inventory of what you don’t have or can’t do yet in order to achieve the goals you’ve set. Ask yourself, “What could I do now to learn a skill that will inch me forward toward achieving my goal?”

“It is a joyful thing if every single day you are shifting your life a little bit away from where you were toward [what] you really value,” said Col. Hadfield.

Adam and the Colonel also discuss how to stay motivated when pursuing your dreams. He reminds us to have the maturity and pause as we enter into a new situation and to always have our long-term dreams in mind. As you’re working toward your goal, find a way to make a daily living that is somewhere within that field or involving those things you find interesting. 

“Don’t let life randomly choose for you what you’re going to do. Be active in choosing your own life.” 

Episode Links:

“Space Oddity” Cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo

https://chrishadfield.ca/books/

Order your copy of Start With A Win: Tools and Lessons to Create Personal and Business Success:

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We get better by changing and growing! If you want to get better, make growing and changing as natural as breathing. Accept change, accept growth, and go after it!

Connect with Adam:

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As a founder and the CEO of Vari, Jason McCann’s mission is to help companies create environments that elevate people. Jason co-founded VariDesk in 2013, and the brand quickly became synonymous with sit-stand desks. Today, the company name is Vari, and it has grown into a workspace innovation company that provides everything high-growth businesses need to unlock the potential of their workforce. Jason and his leadership have been widely celebrated over the years, including recently being named CEO of the year by CEO Magazine in 2021.

Adam and Jason start the conversation by talking about the origins of VariDesk and the sit-stand desk. Jason developed the product with his co-founder, and they started by listing the desk in Sky Mall Magazine. It quickly became the #1 selling item in Sky Mall’s history! After years of success with the original VariDesk, the company began to expand into other functional workspace products just for their own company. But when people visited their headquarters, most people said, “I want this!” Jason and his team realized it wasn’t just the products, it was the culture that had been created. This prompted them to elevate their vision and push into creating workspaces of the future.

Our bodies were designed to be active, and when we sit down, that’s when our bodies go into recharge mode. Over the last 50-60 years, we made it so easy to sit down, and we removed all of the things that encourage movement. Jason believes that innovation happens when people get to interact and move. So Vari creates “moving workspaces” where walls and seating move, transforming static offices into living, breathing spaces.

When people shifted to working at home when COVID first hit, people were sitting on futons hunched over a laptop. Chiropractors have had record years due to tech neck! So, through COVID, Jason’s focus has been: How do we create healthy, productive workspaces so you can continue to thrive and be at your very best when you need to be?

Considered an essential business, Vari’s team returned to their office in June 2020 due to the ability to have a moveable office that could be transformed into a safe working environment. Over the last 24 months, Vari has transformed over 2,000 offices across the country. 

When it comes to the future of work, Jason believes that flexibility is here to stay. We must continue to embrace change as leaders and adopt the mentality of “innovate or die." The ability to be flexible, moveable and innovative allowed the company to thrive throughout this season.

The company was addressing a pain point. First was back pain, then it was how to buy office furniture. Vari wanted to simplify and sell furniture direct. Today, more than 4 million uses of Vari’s products can be found in 120 countries around the world. And it’s all happened by listening to the customer and doing what’s right. Adam shared a study which found that customers are twice as likely to pay for something that stops pain than something that makes them feel good. 

The two round out the conversation by touching on the importance of leading with empathy, love and grace in this new season of business. Listening as a leader is more important than ever, and we have to put ourselves in our team’s shoes. We have to understand what they’re going through so we can serve them better. That’s what we as leaders have been put on earth to do.

Episode Links:

https://www.vari.com

Order your copy of Start With A Win: Tools and Lessons to Create Personal and Business Success:

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