May 19, 2025 • 36 mins
In this episode, Nathan and Brian reflect on the major transition Leadership Vision is undergoing as they prepare to launch their new book, Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane. Brian shares the story of how the company started (accidentally!), what he's learned about leadership, and how trust, risk, and vision continue to shape their future.
Key Topics Covered:
- The emotional tension of pivot moments
- Brian’s story of accidental entrepreneurship
- Lessons from 25 years of leadership
- Letting go of control and trusting others
- The enduring value of CliftonStrengths
- The metaphor of transformation in Unfolded
Links:
- 💻 Learn more: https://www.leadershipvisionconsulting.com
- 📖 Pre-order the book Unfolded: https://www.schubrings.com
- 🎧 Listen to more episodes: Leadership Vision Podcast
🎉 Unfolded is a National Bestseller!
#1 in Business & #5 Overall on USA Today
#17 on Publisher’s Weekly Nonfiction
📘 Grab your copy + get the FREE Reflection Guide!
-
Read the full blog post here!
CONTACT US
- email: connect@leadershipvisionconsulting.com
- Leadership Vision Online
ABOUT
The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in discovering, practicing, and implementing a Strengths-based approach to people, teams, and culture. Contact us to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
You are listening to the Leadership Vision Podcast,
our show helping you buildpositive team culture.
Hello everyone, my name isNathan Friberg and in this
episode, brian and I reflect onthe journey of Leadership Vision
over the past 25 years and talkcandidly about this pivotal
moment of change.
As we prepare to launch Lindaand Brian's new book, unfolded
(00:24):
Lessons in Transformation froman Origami Crane, we'll explore
the emotional and practicalrealities of making big shifts,
why some dreams require lettinggo of what's comfortable, what
it means to lead throughuncertainty, and how to bring
others along in that process.
Brian shares a little bit aboutwhat he's learned from 25 years
as a leader, from finances toletting go of control and a
(00:48):
bunch more, and we also talkabout the importance of asking
for help, holding on to yourvalues and dreaming bigger than
you think you can Now.
If you're at a crossroads orjust simply wondering what it
takes to pivot, well, well, thisepisode is for you.
So listen in and maybe askyourself what's a dream you've
been afraid to chase and whatwould it take to actually unfold
(01:10):
?
Enjoy.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Well, looking at your outline, I thought, if we're
talking about different pivotpoints in our company's history
and that from your perspective,nathan, like you're experiencing
the agitation of being at thisnext pivot point and the anxiety
and stress or pressure andexpectation and, frankly, just
the dream behind it, we're atthat pivot point.
(01:36):
We know that we are at thepoint where there's going to be
a pivot, or that there, there,there is going to be a change in
direction of where we're headed.
Some of the fundamentals arestill there.
I think that there are some ofthe fundamentals of our company
that are long lasting, that aretrue, that will definitely not
change how we do.
(01:58):
The work is definitely going tochange.
And so now you know, as we sithere at the time of this
recording, we are about to enterinto two months from now with
the release of the book and withall of the pre-work that we've
done to set up differentengagements and client work
ahead of time.
We know that things are aboutto change and enter into a zone
(02:20):
of great challenge, discomfort,opportunity and who knows what
else.
So, of all the questions thatyou have listed out here for
today, there are a lot of themthat I think are relevant,
because Linda and I have had toreturn to many of these
questions and how it is thatwe're navigating forward.
Because, nathan, like you know,with every great comfort
(02:43):
challenge like having to moveout of your comfort zone and
into a learning zone and reachthat area of challenge where you
have to get out of discomfortfor a longer period of time to
establish a new baseline we aretrying to remind ourselves what
are the values that we're takingforward, what are the practices
that we're going to continue,what are the new practices that
(03:07):
we're going to practice and whatare some things we have to
leave behind.
I think a part of that leavingbehind, I'm pretty sure that I
have not thought of, like theemotional toll of okay, we may
not do that ever again, but whatif I want to?
Yeah.
Okay, we may not do that everagain, but what if I want to
yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Well, to set this episode up a little bit for our
listeners, is that we had aninterview scheduled with an
author that we're excited tointerview that got rescheduled
kind of last minute and since wealready had the time on the
calendar, I was like let's stillrecord something.
We knew Linda wasn't going tobe able to be here.
Calendar.
I was like let's still recordsomething.
(03:46):
We knew Linda wasn't going tobe able to be here.
And there is an author that Ifollow who opened a bookstore
and he recently had this post.
That was like what he's learnedin opening this bookstore over
the last however many years it'sbeen Leadership.
Vision is, I guess, depending onexactly when you start 25 years
old this year and I was like Iwonder if, like, since we have
this time, if I could kind ofpick Brian's brain, almost like
(04:09):
I'm an outsider coming in, likewhat are some of the lessons
Brian has learned over 25 yearsabout the business, about these
pivots that we're talking about,about leadership, his
leadership style and you knowLinda's obviously a big part of
that.
So not to exclude her in any way, but just since I have you here
and you're the one who startedit.
So, brian, I'm wondering if wecan just kind of go over this
(04:32):
list of somewhat random butrelevant questions that I
generated as we think about thispotential pivot point in the
company's history, as you said,with this book release, as we
maybe think back on a little bitof the company's history and
look forward.
The first question I want toask you that I've heard you
answer this a million times andso maybe this is boring, but I
edit it out of nearly everypodcast when we're talking with
(04:55):
guests why did Leadership Visionor how did Leadership Vision
start Like what was the original?
I've heard you say you're anaccidental business owner.
You didn't come with thisbusiness plan and say this is
what I'm going to do.
It just kind of happened.
Just maybe briefly unpack thatstory a little bit for those who
don't know and add some extradetail for those who have heard
it before.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Well, the company started by accident.
I do consider myself anaccidental entrepreneur.
Those who know me would saythat I've been an entrepreneur
since I've been 12 years old.
So there's controversy in myown narrative.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
However, that's new okay.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
I know it's new because we're that's a longer
story which I'm not gonna tellyou right now.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
That's okay.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I'll tell you when we're done podcasting.
Anyways, accidental businessowner and the unique thing about
the accidental business ownerpart was the company started
with someone asking us to go andspeak at a conference about
strengths and it was a retreat.
That was at a disney um resortor a disney retreat center in
(05:57):
arizona former disney retreatcenter in arizona because, like
all the little like cottagerooms, rooms had stencils of
Disney characters.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Kind of weird Mice and Tinkerbells, yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
But the motivation was two things.
Number one the opportunity tobe flown to Arizona to speak at
a retreat and to make $1,200.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen,$1,200 was my primary motivation
for doing this Nice.
The financial upside, because Ithought I'd hit the jackpot.
And that to me was when itstarted, because once I had the
(06:29):
chance to go and talk to peopleabout their unique individual
identity, which is somethingthat my career has been
fundamentally anchored in, whenI saw these people light up,
that to me was that you hearpeople talk about once I tasted
that I needed more of it, andthat was kind of how this whole
thing started.
I did a few more of thoseevents in the next few months,
(06:53):
continued to make a little bitof money off of that, and then,
when it came tax season, my taxguy said where are all these
deposits coming from, theserandom like $750 and $1,200?
I said, hey, you would notbelieve it, but man, people are
paying me to go talk to them foran hour and a half.
(07:14):
He's like you can't just takethat money.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
He encouraged me to start a company, and that's how
the company started.
That's so funny, which is$2,300 in today's dollars.
So don't, Are you sure I?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
just.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Googled that, if you think back, were there any risks
you took in starting thiscompany?
Not at that point.
Yeah, well, that's what I'mkind of getting at is where,
because we're sort of in a risktaking place today High risk,
high risk.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Okay, the unique thing was at the time I was
employed, I had a full-time job.
It was at a university and Iwas making what I thought was
good money at this university.
I was very comfortable, Stableand so to do the consulting that
was also accepted because manypeople at the university had
some kind of side hustle, so Ihad like models around me and at
(08:02):
some point I just kept puttingthat money aside because I
wasn't in a place of takingfinancial risk.
I started putting money in thebank and so I didn't feel that.
So I didn't really feel a lotof risk around much of anything
in the early days.
It wasn't until my job at theuniversity ended and I was faced
(08:22):
with either taking someinternal jobs at the university
or branching out on my own andreally going all in with this
company.
That's when the first real riskthat I faced happened, Because
as an accidental business owner.
Now I had to make an intentionaldecision on whether I wanted to
go out on my own andfortunately, because I've been
squirreling away this money overa couple of years, I actually
(08:47):
had a year and a half's worth ofsalary in the bank when my job
at the university quit, theequivalent of my salary for a
year and a half.
So I felt that I had a good 18months of financial support seed
money, if you will to reallymake a go for it, thinking that
within a year I'll know, withina year I'll know, this is going
(09:07):
to work or not.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
This is so interesting and I've known this,
but now that we're talkingabout it, so this was right
around when we met.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
A little bit after that, yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Yeah, a little bit after that, because when I had
first reached out to you anddidn't hear back from you from
like three months, I didn't knowwho you were.
I know, I know.
But then, when we finallyconnected, was right at this, I
guess, risk, or this pivotmoment of going out on my own
you'd apparently decided to dothat.
When you think back on that,I'm not sure how to ask this,
(09:40):
but I'm curious, like if youwere doing that again today,
what you might do differently.
Or maybe another way to askthat, like what were some of
your biggest learnings from thatinitial risk to today?
Or, you know, it's alwaysinteresting when you hear or
listen to podcasts like how Ibuilt this or other things, all
of these business owners beinglike I wouldn't do anything
(10:01):
differently or I would havestarted totally different.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Do you have anything?
Speaker 1 (10:05):
like that.
There's a question theresomewhere.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Well, the unique thing is, when I was faced with
that risk, there were severalfactors at play that are at play
right now.
So 20 years later, there arestill critical factors in the
decision making process thatreflect really who I am.
Number one partnership, becausewhen the company started, I had
(10:32):
someone that I was partneringwith.
When we decided to move out onour own, there were other people
around me that were willing totake that risk with me.
So, for me, the need to havesomeone that was alongside of me
, someone that we're workingwith that I wasn't holding at
all on my own that was extremelyimportant to me.
Someone that we're working with, that I wasn't holding it all
on my own that was extremelyimportant to me, and so I've
always had that type ofpartnership or small team around
to take the risk, because Ithink that I need that kind of
(10:54):
help.
That was the first thing.
The second thing is asking forhelp.
I know that I have always askedfor help.
I was asking for help on how tobreak away from the university,
how to make it on my own, so Ihad people that were mentoring
or coaching me.
That's very similar, um.
The third thing is, uh,finances.
Uh, you know, 20 years ago Ireally had no idea um how to run
(11:16):
a business financially.
Um, and that's significantlychanged after having you know
just how things are structurednow.
Um, that's different, um.
But the other thing that isvery similar is I could see in
my mind a way forward, like Icould see a pathway to get there
(11:36):
.
Huh, and that was relevant 25years ago.
It was relevant 20 years agoand it's relevant now.
I can see just far enough aheadto know that we can make this
risk now and build out a wholenew side of how it is that we're
choosing to serve our clients.
I can see it far enough aheadto know that we're headed in the
(11:59):
right direction, and that'sreally all the confidence that I
need to get me going.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
What do you mean?
You could see?
Speaker 2 (12:05):
it Like 20 years ago.
I could see how we could makeit as a company.
I think we had enough clientsthat we were engaged with so I
could see where the financeswere coming from.
I knew what our core serviceswere, because we were working
with strengths, and there arepeople out there that were
willing to help, like you, whoare willing to help and come
alongside to see what they couldadd.
(12:25):
That same thing is now.
We've been growing our team.
We've been having people thatare coming alongside with very
specific capacities andcapabilities that have the same
kind of vision in mind.
That's the same thing thatwe're doing right now, so
there's still a high degree ofsimilarity.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
So we connected in 2007.
And I don't know the exactmonth or what part of that year,
but I remember thinking thisguy has got his act together.
This guy has got all of hisducks in a row, really knows
what he's doing, and so you knowto learn later that you were
(13:01):
essentially starting not with noidea, but, as you said, you've
learned and grown a lot over theyear.
It's interesting how you maybewhat's going on internally
sometimes doesn't match, perhapswhere you think you're at.
How do you think, or maybe whatare some of the ways that your
own like you just talked aboutfinances, like how much you've
(13:23):
grown and just that part of thebusiness.
You just talked about finances,how much you've grown and just
that part of the business.
How do you think your ownleadership style or leadership
abilities or leadershipsomethings has grown and changed
over the 25 years and what doyou think is still the same you
mentioned at the core of thebusiness is still the same.
What about the core of you?
What's still the same and whathas really grown and changed
(13:45):
over that time?
Is that too big of a questionto ask in this therapy?
Speaker 2 (13:47):
hour here, thank you.
What has maintained the samewith?
me is like it's really my needto be with a person and watch
them light up as we talk aboutwho they really are, like their
unique identity.
To sit with someone and to havethat conversation and to ask
(14:09):
them questions and to watch themtell their story and to learn
lessons about who they are andhow they form relationships and
how they relied on their ownskills to get them over really
challenging situations or howthey've suffered and learned
from that.
That, to me, just brings me tolife.
Situations or how they'vesuffered and learned from that.
That, to me, just brings me tolife and I feel that that has
(14:30):
always been there.
And I was just telling someonethe other day where we were in a
conversation about someonesaying or someone asking us
about our audiences and how theaudiences have gotten bigger and
how that's affected me, and Isaid, no matter what the size of
the audience, I still want tohave that conversation with
somebody and so I think thatpart of me, you know, is staying
true.
The other side of me that'sreally changing is, I don't know
(14:51):
, I wouldn't say fearless.
There's a lot of fear, but mywillingness to make asks, my
willingness to I clearly statewhat I see and then ask what
someone else sees and find somekind of compromise or connection
there.
If I could go back 20 years tomy younger self and talk to him
(15:11):
about the types of people he'dbe talking to 25 years from then
, he wouldn't believe it.
Or how I talk with people,that's really changed.
I've realized that many the theghosts and goblins I was afraid
of 20 years ago really don'texist.
That's funny.
That's funny.
(15:32):
Um, I also believe that I amlearning how to rely on others
beyond my comfort zone.
We hired Deb Dixon as oursenior advisor many months ago
(15:56):
and in some of the finalconversations with her before
she was hired we were talkingabout her role and how her role
was to oversee and direct allthings book.
And she looked at me and shesaid are you willing to let me
lead it?
She said I've known you foreight years, you know as your
client, and what I'm impressedwith is your control, but I
(16:18):
believe that that's the thingthat's going to keep this from
happening.
Keep this.
She said that to you, wow, andLinda's my witness, cause she's
on the call and I just kind ofsat there and I kind of said,
yeah, like I'm learning, um,because number one she meant it,
and number two, I know thatthat's a thing of mine uh, like
(16:41):
a, an area of vulnerabilitythat's gotten me into trouble
before.
And for Deb to say that was forme the invitation to truly
trust her, to truly let herexecute on this in a way that I
could never do it.
I feel like I've struggled withthat process because in letting
(17:02):
go, there are other parts ofwhat we've done that I've had to
take more ownership of, andthat's all on me so that kind of
relying on team members.
that's been a challenge,Something I'm still growing in
and something I'm still evolvinginto.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Yeah, I don't see that or I like that, obviously,
the interaction with you and Debor what's happening there.
But I can sort of sense thatthat's going on how clearly like
(17:41):
delegated or like that's yourjob, deb.
Do it where I feel like even Idon't know three or four years
ago you would have been all upin all those details
unnecessarily oh yeah, that's,that's a that's a.
That's cool um.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Part of it is, I'm afraid, of deb kind of I am too
just a little bit um that'sprobably.
Here's the um.
There's a reality there that Iwant to admit out loud.
There were so many things inthis process.
Now clearly we're not done.
(18:15):
We have two months to go andwho knows what's going to happen
, but in the last six monthsthere has been there have been
so, so, so many layers of thisprocess because of all the
different companies are workingwith that.
I have no idea what's happeningand I cannot list you how many
times um deb and ann have takencare of something blocked linda
(18:40):
and I from knowing about ituntil it was done or until it
was time for us to get involved,and that has not only
accelerated the process, but ithas kept my mind on the client
engagements that we have, thecreativity that we have in
innovating around our newproducts and allowing Deb and
(19:03):
Ann to do their job.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, I want to go back to something you said about
no matter how big of a platform, you still love the process of
one-on-one conversation andwatching people light up.
I think a lot of that.
Well, we've used strengths as atool forever.
I'm curious to know why that is, because I don't know that we
(19:27):
would identify ourselves as astrengths company anymore in the
way that we used to, but it'sstill a part of what we do and
I'm just curious if you couldtouch on why that is, why the
importance and continued use ofyes, this one tool in particular
, but maybe more of thephilosophy in general, over 25
years, it seems like there's somany new things that come and go
(19:49):
that people try and trysomething else and do that.
But why that?
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Well, number one.
I'm still a massive advocateand entrepreneur innovator with
how to use strengths.
The reason why I believe in itso strongly is because it is a
psychometric.
It is rooted in positivepsychology, something that I
studied in my undergraduate.
Our whole approach and how wedo our consulting and executive
coaching and our speaking isframed by the characteristics of
(20:17):
positive psychology.
So that's what I like, becauseI also believe that the
strengths language has alwaysbeen about emphasizing and
amplifying what is good andright about human beings, and
fundamentally I believe in thegoodness of people and if
there's a tool out there thatcan amplify, can identify what
is beautiful and brilliant aboutthat and our work can amplify
that.
(20:37):
I'm about that every single day.
And the reason why strengths isimportant to me is because I
understand the history of wherestrengths came from.
I knew the people that createdit and I understand that part of
what we're trying to do isreally pull up or pull up the
shades or draw back the curtainon someone's internal light and
(20:58):
let the world be enlightened bythe brightness of someone's
beauty.
That's why I continue to usethat tool Now as I've matured or
gotten not mature, but as I'vegotten older I've also realized
this that it's also importantfor me to be somewhat tool
agnostic, because there are manytools out there that are doing
(21:20):
the same thing.
There are amazing executivecoaches and consultants and
speakers that use tools and theimplication of their tool is to
do the same thing.
There are amazing executivecoaches and consultants and
speakers that use tools and theimplication of their tool is to
do the same thing, is to elevateand heighten someone's
awareness of their uniquepersonality, their emotions,
their unique aspirations in life.
And so for me to come alongsideand say, well, one tool is
better than the other is toreally exclude me from the
(21:43):
conversation.
I want us to be included in theconversation about health and
well-being, how it can beprofessionally engaged and
emotionally healthy.
Whatever tool someone chooses,well, I don't care, but what I
do care more about is theprocess.
So, yes, we're still massiveadvocates and voices in the
strength-based movement.
(22:04):
Yes, in the use of tools.
And how that applies to our bookis I really believe that in the
last 25 years, we don't bringjudgment to how someone shows up
or what they believe or whattheir lived experience is,
because the shape that someonepresents to us when we meet them
isn't the shape that someonehas to stay.
(22:26):
There's something within usthat can evolve or can emerge if
we go through a series ofchanges or a process of
transformation to become morewhole and self-accepting of who
we are, more in love withourselves.
That, I believe, is fundamentalto this next era is how can we
really be committed to the workthat we've always done?
(22:49):
How can we take the work thatwe've always done and open it up
to more people and to morepractitioners?
And what is a unique metaphorto demonstrate that?
I believe that we've landed onthat with the Uragami Crane.
I believe that we've landed onthat with the origami crane.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Yeah, yeah, sorry, I'm trying to think of my next
question.
The name of the company isLeadership Vision Consulting.
We've kind of droppedconsulting, but it's too
expensive to get a different URLLeadership Vision Vision.
What does that mean?
The book talks a lot about thisorigami crane who had this
(23:31):
vision that they wanted to be apaper plane.
Yep, um, talk about that wordspecifically from the 1999 brian
to the 2025 brian.
How has that word changed andevolved?
Yeah, it's somewhat open-ended.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Just talk to me about vision In the beginning there
was a word, and that word wasleadership, Leadership, vision.
The name comes from twophilosophies, and these
philosophies are the same that Icarry with me today.
Number one I believe thateveryone's a leader, and by
leader I mean that all peoplehave influence, influence on the
environment around them, thepeople and the relationships
(24:10):
that they're in.
And when we have influence withand among others, we are, in a
way, leading them by our example.
So I really still I do stillbelieve strongly that everyone's
a leader, that there'ssomething inside of each one of
us that can inspire andinfluence others and in that way
, we are, in a way, leading them.
(24:30):
Vision.
Why vision?
Because I believe that eachperson has a unique vision, a
unique perspective.
That is the way that they seethe world, how they interpret
color and feeling and emotionsand in their environments, and
that unique vision is how theyprocess information and who they
belong to, how they form theirrelationships.
(24:51):
Their vision is what inspiresthem to dream.
Their vision could be whatinspires them to do something
that they would never reallybelieve they could do because
they saw it.
And vision to me is also asense of do because they saw it.
And vision to me is also asense of inspiration, something
that's more internal, more ofyour gut, that inspires us to
look somewhere else.
(25:11):
That vision, that perspectiveof what we bring to the world.
I believe that that also needsto be amplified and heard in
other people.
So for me, the name LeadershipVision is as important as it
always has been.
And with the book, the origamicrane has a dream to fly and she
(25:31):
sees her vision.
She sees an example of flightand it is that vision that
inspires her to take the firstinitial steps of change.
And it's that vision that alsoinspires her to ask for help, to
go through transformation sothat she can actually achieve
(25:53):
her dream of flight.
And it's through the process oftransformation that she is
inviting others into the processand that way she too is leading
those around her.
So leadership vision is astightly woven and integrated
into our daily work as it was inthe beginning.
I would argue even more,because it is a central part of
(26:15):
the main thread of what makesour book come to life for me,
and that is each one of us havedreams, and those dreams can
inspire us to unfold ourgreatest potential.
And it isn't until we begin toreally believe that we can dream
that we will be able to beginto explore Explore who we are as
(26:35):
people, what resources we havearound us and who can help us.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Brian, I love that and I'm going to butcher this,
so correct this.
But one of my favorite parts inthe book is this idea, or I
don't know if favorite's theright word, but the part that
made me think a lot is there'sthis idea where Osi the Oregon
crane has Our main character.
It's scary, she's comfortable,it's like I could I don't really
(27:04):
necessarily have to turn into aplane Like I can.
I can stay this way and some ofthe other characters are
encouraging her to do that.
But through the process ofunfolding and refolding and all
of that, and I wonder how manypeople, how many leaders you've
seen over the years who have avision to be a plane, have just
(27:24):
and let's say, plane is ametaphor for something bigger
and brighter than they are now.
But because it's too hard,because it's like, well,
actually where I'm at now isn'tbad, it's just maybe a little
okay, they just they don't.
They don't go through thatprocess and I don't know, maybe
to close things out, how wouldyou because you've gone through
that process time and time againin this 25 years, I don't know,
(27:45):
maybe to close things out howwould you, because you've gone
through that process time andtime again in this 25 years.
I don't even know what I'masking here, other than maybe
what are some tips or advice orways that you have forced
yourself to change over the 25years to get to this other place
where you wanted to go, like,what are some of the things that
have allowed you to do that andnot be like you know what?
It's okay, this isn't what Iwant exactly, but it's good
(28:07):
enough, you know, and not subtlemaybe is what I'm asking this
is going to be good.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
Can you, can you find a question in there.
What you're referencing, nathan, is a scene and it's a main
plot line in the book.
What I think is interestingabout dreams is no one tells you
about the dreams deception, andI think the dreams deception is
that we can reach our dreamsfrom the place they originate.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
We can reach our dreams through the place, from
the place from dreams originate.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Okay, unpack that.
I'm going to unpack that, thankyou.
I believe dreams are birthwhere we're at and dreams are
achieved somewhere else, and thejourney from here to there
requires us to change, to askfor help, to not give up and to
experience transformation,because I believe that, like in
(29:04):
our story, there are many peoplethat think that they can reach
their dreams from where they are, with their current skill sets,
and what we're inviting peopleto do is to imagine what skills
or capacities that they havethat they may not have resourced
yet, that they'll need toachieve their dreams.
To achieve their dreams, andare you willing to go through
(29:27):
the process of letting somethings go, turning some new
things over, trying andexperimenting, asking for help,
overcoming fear and anxiety andstress to really be able to
transform, to achieve somethingthat you thought was impossible?
Speaker 1 (29:43):
That's good, and I can't help but think in that.
So you and I are running theBoston Marathon together this
year.
I don't know how much togetherthere will be, if you're going
to leave me at some point.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
Depends on whose plan you're going to be running with
.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
But, as you were talking, this has been something
I've been working towards for10 years.
I never thought it was possible.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
I already knew it was possible for you to get to the
Boston Marathon.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
But all of that is true, like changing, like what
got you here is not going to getyou there, and being willing to
change and experiment and gothrough pain and go through
setbacks, but not giving up.
And sometimes I just think, ifI can apply that same idea to
other areas of my life, thingswould be.
I mean, other things are badlife things would be.
(30:32):
I mean, other things are bad.
But I'm just excited for thisbook to come out, to get an
actual physical copy in my handsthat I can reference instead of
like scrolling up and down in agoogle doc like where's that
part again?
so your whole training process.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Yeah, it completely maps to the story of the book,
because you know that I thinkyou have so much talent just
folded away that I just I'veseen you run.
I just I believe you have thatand I think that each time you
attempt a marathon you trysomething new.
(31:02):
You've always done that.
You tried new training plansand you you do really stretch
yourself and you push yourselfto find new limits, to find new
barriers to work through stuff.
You always do that and you askfor help.
You ask for help in more complexways than I ever asked for help
, that's true, and you rely onthat help to get you to the
(31:24):
markers and the goals that youhave in your training program.
But then it's always going tocome down to race day and you
tend to do really well withsomeone else beside you, and
that's really the pathway thatwe're talking about with just
life, Like who is it that'sgoing to help you along the way?
And, nathan, one of the thingsthat I've realized with you is
(31:47):
you have groups of people thathelp you get to certain things
in your life that are for thatdistinct journey and for a
different part of your life.
You have different people forthat journey, and what I think
is unique about you is you havea much broader resource group
than I ever had, or that I everresourced, because that's just
the way that you're wired justthe way that you're wired.
(32:08):
And so I think that there are alot of lessons that people can
learn from the way that youtrain and do life, about how to
ask for help, how to experimentand practice, how to really dial
in on what is going to work,and then what you'll always do
better than me on race day havemore fun with it than I will.
That's true.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
Well, and to bring this back.
So when I hit record, we weretalking about the book the
Comfort Crisis, which isessentially about how do you
push and challenge yourself outof our most of our very
comfortable existence to reallysee what we're made of, to maybe
try things and fail andexperiment and to do different
things.
And there's a whole section inthe book where he's talking
(32:49):
about how impermanent mostthings are in life, just the
idea of impermanence, and soeven if you're trying something
and it's not going well, it'llbe over soon and you can try
something else.
And I think that's in part whatthe book is about too, as this
little origami crane keepsthrowing herself off the slide
and just keeps running to treesand whatever else.
(33:11):
It's like the first so muchlike life the first two times
you do that you're like thishurts, I'm done.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
Um, but don't give up .
Speaker 1 (33:17):
Maybe that's that's the secondary, tertiary message
here.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
But anyway, how many things in life, Nathan, what we
try.
Life, Nathan, what we try, ifwe're guaranteed a 50% chance of
success, if everything goeswell, which is central to that
book.
That to me, is just how manythings in life I've never done.
If that was the risk, yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
One of the things my kids will say to me if I'm like,
hey, try this new food, they'relike well, what if I don't like
it?
I was like, but what if you dolike it?
What if this is your newfavorite thing?
And if you don't try it, youwon't know.
Right now you have a 50-50 shot, so let's try it and then
you'll learn something about it.
And I think people, kids,adults, everybody is sometimes
(34:04):
too afraid of trying thingsbecause they're always worried
about the worst case scenarioversus the best case scenario.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
And you know what I think?
If we, as people, are willingto take the risk, we will also
find that there are people inour lives that are willing to
inspire us through their wisdom,through the lessons that
they've learned, and they'rewilling to teach us how to take
the next few steps.
And we will also recognize thatthere are people in our lives
who always believe that we coulddo it, and they were there,
waiting on the other side of theobstacle, to encourage us and
(34:33):
to welcome us into that newplace that we didn't know we
were going to get to.
Those people are there too, andthey are just as important as
the ones that are there to helpus dust the dirt off and try
again.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Thank you for listening to the Leadership
Vision Podcast, our show helpingyou build positive team culture
For more resources aboutdeveloping yourself, your team
or your whole organization.
You can visit the link in theshow notes or visit us on the
web atleadershipvisionconsultingcom.
Unfolded Lessons inTransformation from an Origami
Crane comes out June 4th 2025.
(35:09):
You can go to shoobringscom orclick the link in the show notes
to learn more about that.
I'm Nathan Friberg and I'mBrian Shubring and, on behalf of
our entire team, thanks forlistening.
You are listening to the Leadership Vision Podcast,
our show helping you buildpositive team culture.
Hello everyone, my name isNathan Friberg and in this
episode, brian and I reflect onthe journey of Leadership Vision
over the past 25 years and talkcandidly about this pivotal
moment of change.
As we prepare to launch Lindaand Brian's new book, unfolded
(00:24):
Lessons in Transformation froman Origami Crane, we'll explore
the emotional and practicalrealities of making big shifts,
why some dreams require lettinggo of what's comfortable, what
it means to lead throughuncertainty, and how to bring
others along in that process.
Brian shares a little bit aboutwhat he's learned from 25 years
as a leader, from finances toletting go of control and a
(00:48):
bunch more, and we also talkabout the importance of asking
for help, holding on to yourvalues and dreaming bigger than
you think you can Now.
If you're at a crossroads orjust simply wondering what it
takes to pivot, well, well, thisepisode is for you.
So listen in and maybe askyourself what's a dream you've
been afraid to chase and whatwould it take to actually unfold
(01:10):
?
Enjoy.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Well, looking at your outline, I thought, if we're
talking about different pivotpoints in our company's history
and that from your perspective,nathan, like you're experiencing
the agitation of being at thisnext pivot point and the anxiety
and stress or pressure andexpectation and, frankly, just
the dream behind it, we're atthat pivot point.
(01:36):
We know that we are at thepoint where there's going to be
a pivot, or that there, there,there is going to be a change in
direction of where we're headed.
Some of the fundamentals arestill there.
I think that there are some ofthe fundamentals of our company
that are long lasting, that aretrue, that will definitely not
change how we do.
(01:58):
The work is definitely going tochange.
And so now you know, as we sithere at the time of this
recording, we are about to enterinto two months from now with
the release of the book and withall of the pre-work that we've
done to set up differentengagements and client work
ahead of time.
We know that things are aboutto change and enter into a zone
(02:20):
of great challenge, discomfort,opportunity and who knows what
else.
So, of all the questions thatyou have listed out here for
today, there are a lot of themthat I think are relevant,
because Linda and I have had toreturn to many of these
questions and how it is thatwe're navigating forward.
Because, nathan, like you know,with every great comfort
(02:43):
challenge like having to moveout of your comfort zone and
into a learning zone and reachthat area of challenge where you
have to get out of discomfortfor a longer period of time to
establish a new baseline we aretrying to remind ourselves what
are the values that we're takingforward, what are the practices
that we're going to continue,what are the new practices that
(03:07):
we're going to practice and whatare some things we have to
leave behind.
I think a part of that leavingbehind, I'm pretty sure that I
have not thought of, like theemotional toll of okay, we may
not do that ever again, but whatif I want to?
Yeah.
Okay, we may not do that everagain, but what if I want to
yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Well, to set this episode up a little bit for our
listeners, is that we had aninterview scheduled with an
author that we're excited tointerview that got rescheduled
kind of last minute and since wealready had the time on the
calendar, I was like let's stillrecord something.
We knew Linda wasn't going tobe able to be here.
Calendar.
I was like let's still recordsomething.
(03:46):
We knew Linda wasn't going tobe able to be here.
And there is an author that Ifollow who opened a bookstore
and he recently had this post.
That was like what he's learnedin opening this bookstore over
the last however many years it'sbeen Leadership.
Vision is, I guess, depending onexactly when you start 25 years
old this year and I was like Iwonder if, like, since we have
this time, if I could kind ofpick Brian's brain, almost like
(04:09):
I'm an outsider coming in, likewhat are some of the lessons
Brian has learned over 25 yearsabout the business, about these
pivots that we're talking about,about leadership, his
leadership style and you knowLinda's obviously a big part of
that.
So not to exclude her in any way, but just since I have you here
and you're the one who startedit.
So, brian, I'm wondering if wecan just kind of go over this
(04:32):
list of somewhat random butrelevant questions that I
generated as we think about thispotential pivot point in the
company's history, as you said,with this book release, as we
maybe think back on a little bitof the company's history and
look forward.
The first question I want toask you that I've heard you
answer this a million times andso maybe this is boring, but I
edit it out of nearly everypodcast when we're talking with
(04:55):
guests why did Leadership Visionor how did Leadership Vision
start Like what was the original?
I've heard you say you're anaccidental business owner.
You didn't come with thisbusiness plan and say this is
what I'm going to do.
It just kind of happened.
Just maybe briefly unpack thatstory a little bit for those who
don't know and add some extradetail for those who have heard
it before.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Well, the company started by accident.
I do consider myself anaccidental entrepreneur.
Those who know me would saythat I've been an entrepreneur
since I've been 12 years old.
So there's controversy in myown narrative.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
However, that's new okay.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
I know it's new because we're that's a longer
story which I'm not gonna tellyou right now.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
That's okay.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I'll tell you when we're done podcasting.
Anyways, accidental businessowner and the unique thing about
the accidental business ownerpart was the company started
with someone asking us to go andspeak at a conference about
strengths and it was a retreat.
That was at a disney um resortor a disney retreat center in
(05:57):
arizona former disney retreatcenter in arizona because, like
all the little like cottagerooms, rooms had stencils of
Disney characters.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Kind of weird Mice and Tinkerbells, yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
But the motivation was two things.
Number one the opportunity tobe flown to Arizona to speak at
a retreat and to make $1,200.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen,$1,200 was my primary motivation
for doing this Nice.
The financial upside, because Ithought I'd hit the jackpot.
And that to me was when itstarted, because once I had the
(06:29):
chance to go and talk to peopleabout their unique individual
identity, which is somethingthat my career has been
fundamentally anchored in, whenI saw these people light up,
that to me was that you hearpeople talk about once I tasted
that I needed more of it, andthat was kind of how this whole
thing started.
I did a few more of thoseevents in the next few months,
(06:53):
continued to make a little bitof money off of that, and then,
when it came tax season, my taxguy said where are all these
deposits coming from, theserandom like $750 and $1,200?
I said, hey, you would notbelieve it, but man, people are
paying me to go talk to them foran hour and a half.
(07:14):
He's like you can't just takethat money.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
He encouraged me to start a company, and that's how
the company started.
That's so funny, which is$2,300 in today's dollars.
So don't, Are you sure I?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
just.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Googled that, if you think back, were there any risks
you took in starting thiscompany?
Not at that point.
Yeah, well, that's what I'mkind of getting at is where,
because we're sort of in a risktaking place today High risk,
high risk.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Okay, the unique thing was at the time I was
employed, I had a full-time job.
It was at a university and Iwas making what I thought was
good money at this university.
I was very comfortable, Stableand so to do the consulting that
was also accepted because manypeople at the university had
some kind of side hustle, so Ihad like models around me and at
(08:02):
some point I just kept puttingthat money aside because I
wasn't in a place of takingfinancial risk.
I started putting money in thebank and so I didn't feel that.
So I didn't really feel a lotof risk around much of anything
in the early days.
It wasn't until my job at theuniversity ended and I was faced
(08:22):
with either taking someinternal jobs at the university
or branching out on my own andreally going all in with this
company.
That's when the first real riskthat I faced happened, Because
as an accidental business owner.
Now I had to make an intentionaldecision on whether I wanted to
go out on my own andfortunately, because I've been
squirreling away this money overa couple of years, I actually
(08:47):
had a year and a half's worth ofsalary in the bank when my job
at the university quit, theequivalent of my salary for a
year and a half.
So I felt that I had a good 18months of financial support seed
money, if you will to reallymake a go for it, thinking that
within a year I'll know, withina year I'll know, this is going
(09:07):
to work or not.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
This is so interesting and I've known this,
but now that we're talkingabout it, so this was right
around when we met.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
A little bit after that, yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Yeah, a little bit after that, because when I had
first reached out to you anddidn't hear back from you from
like three months, I didn't knowwho you were.
I know, I know.
But then, when we finallyconnected, was right at this, I
guess, risk, or this pivotmoment of going out on my own
you'd apparently decided to dothat.
When you think back on that,I'm not sure how to ask this,
(09:40):
but I'm curious, like if youwere doing that again today,
what you might do differently.
Or maybe another way to askthat, like what were some of
your biggest learnings from thatinitial risk to today?
Or, you know, it's alwaysinteresting when you hear or
listen to podcasts like how Ibuilt this or other things, all
of these business owners beinglike I wouldn't do anything
(10:01):
differently or I would havestarted totally different.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Do you have anything?
Speaker 1 (10:05):
like that.
There's a question theresomewhere.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Well, the unique thing is, when I was faced with
that risk, there were severalfactors at play that are at play
right now.
So 20 years later, there arestill critical factors in the
decision making process thatreflect really who I am.
Number one partnership, becausewhen the company started, I had
(10:32):
someone that I was partneringwith.
When we decided to move out onour own, there were other people
around me that were willing totake that risk with me.
So, for me, the need to havesomeone that was alongside of me
, someone that we're workingwith that I wasn't holding at
all on my own that was extremelyimportant to me.
Someone that we're working with, that I wasn't holding it all
on my own that was extremelyimportant to me, and so I've
always had that type ofpartnership or small team around
to take the risk, because Ithink that I need that kind of
(10:54):
help.
That was the first thing.
The second thing is asking forhelp.
I know that I have always askedfor help.
I was asking for help on how tobreak away from the university,
how to make it on my own, so Ihad people that were mentoring
or coaching me.
That's very similar, um.
The third thing is, uh,finances.
Uh, you know, 20 years ago Ireally had no idea um how to run
(11:16):
a business financially.
Um, and that's significantlychanged after having you know
just how things are structurednow.
Um, that's different, um.
But the other thing that isvery similar is I could see in
my mind a way forward, like Icould see a pathway to get there
(11:36):
.
Huh, and that was relevant 25years ago.
It was relevant 20 years agoand it's relevant now.
I can see just far enough aheadto know that we can make this
risk now and build out a wholenew side of how it is that we're
choosing to serve our clients.
I can see it far enough aheadto know that we're headed in the
(11:59):
right direction, and that'sreally all the confidence that I
need to get me going.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
What do you mean?
You could see?
Speaker 2 (12:05):
it Like 20 years ago.
I could see how we could makeit as a company.
I think we had enough clientsthat we were engaged with so I
could see where the financeswere coming from.
I knew what our core serviceswere, because we were working
with strengths, and there arepeople out there that were
willing to help, like you, whoare willing to help and come
alongside to see what they couldadd.
(12:25):
That same thing is now.
We've been growing our team.
We've been having people thatare coming alongside with very
specific capacities andcapabilities that have the same
kind of vision in mind.
That's the same thing thatwe're doing right now, so
there's still a high degree ofsimilarity.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
So we connected in 2007.
And I don't know the exactmonth or what part of that year,
but I remember thinking thisguy has got his act together.
This guy has got all of hisducks in a row, really knows
what he's doing, and so you knowto learn later that you were
(13:01):
essentially starting not with noidea, but, as you said, you've
learned and grown a lot over theyear.
It's interesting how you maybewhat's going on internally
sometimes doesn't match, perhapswhere you think you're at.
How do you think, or maybe whatare some of the ways that your
own like you just talked aboutfinances, like how much you've
(13:23):
grown and just that part of thebusiness.
You just talked about finances,how much you've grown and just
that part of the business.
How do you think your ownleadership style or leadership
abilities or leadershipsomethings has grown and changed
over the 25 years and what doyou think is still the same you
mentioned at the core of thebusiness is still the same.
What about the core of you?
What's still the same and whathas really grown and changed
(13:45):
over that time?
Is that too big of a questionto ask in this therapy?
Speaker 2 (13:47):
hour here, thank you.
What has maintained the samewith?
me is like it's really my needto be with a person and watch
them light up as we talk aboutwho they really are, like their
unique identity.
To sit with someone and to havethat conversation and to ask
(14:09):
them questions and to watch themtell their story and to learn
lessons about who they are andhow they form relationships and
how they relied on their ownskills to get them over really
challenging situations or howthey've suffered and learned
from that.
That, to me, just brings me tolife.
Situations or how they'vesuffered and learned from that.
That, to me, just brings me tolife and I feel that that has
(14:30):
always been there.
And I was just telling someonethe other day where we were in a
conversation about someonesaying or someone asking us
about our audiences and how theaudiences have gotten bigger and
how that's affected me, and Isaid, no matter what the size of
the audience, I still want tohave that conversation with
somebody and so I think thatpart of me, you know, is staying
true.
The other side of me that'sreally changing is, I don't know
(14:51):
, I wouldn't say fearless.
There's a lot of fear, but mywillingness to make asks, my
willingness to I clearly statewhat I see and then ask what
someone else sees and find somekind of compromise or connection
there.
If I could go back 20 years tomy younger self and talk to him
(15:11):
about the types of people he'dbe talking to 25 years from then
, he wouldn't believe it.
Or how I talk with people,that's really changed.
I've realized that many the theghosts and goblins I was afraid
of 20 years ago really don'texist.
That's funny.
That's funny.
(15:32):
Um, I also believe that I amlearning how to rely on others
beyond my comfort zone.
We hired Deb Dixon as oursenior advisor many months ago
(15:56):
and in some of the finalconversations with her before
she was hired we were talkingabout her role and how her role
was to oversee and direct allthings book.
And she looked at me and shesaid are you willing to let me
lead it?
She said I've known you foreight years, you know as your
client, and what I'm impressedwith is your control, but I
(16:18):
believe that that's the thingthat's going to keep this from
happening.
Keep this.
She said that to you, wow, andLinda's my witness, cause she's
on the call and I just kind ofsat there and I kind of said,
yeah, like I'm learning, um,because number one she meant it,
and number two, I know thatthat's a thing of mine uh, like
(16:41):
a, an area of vulnerabilitythat's gotten me into trouble
before.
And for Deb to say that was forme the invitation to truly
trust her, to truly let herexecute on this in a way that I
could never do it.
I feel like I've struggled withthat process because in letting
(17:02):
go, there are other parts ofwhat we've done that I've had to
take more ownership of, andthat's all on me so that kind of
relying on team members.
that's been a challenge,Something I'm still growing in
and something I'm still evolvinginto.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Yeah, I don't see that or I like that, obviously,
the interaction with you and Debor what's happening there.
But I can sort of sense thatthat's going on how clearly like
(17:41):
delegated or like that's yourjob, deb.
Do it where I feel like even Idon't know three or four years
ago you would have been all upin all those details
unnecessarily oh yeah, that's,that's a that's a.
That's cool um.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Part of it is, I'm afraid, of deb kind of I am too
just a little bit um that'sprobably.
Here's the um.
There's a reality there that Iwant to admit out loud.
There were so many things inthis process.
Now clearly we're not done.
(18:15):
We have two months to go andwho knows what's going to happen
, but in the last six monthsthere has been there have been
so, so, so many layers of thisprocess because of all the
different companies are workingwith that.
I have no idea what's happeningand I cannot list you how many
times um deb and ann have takencare of something blocked linda
(18:40):
and I from knowing about ituntil it was done or until it
was time for us to get involved,and that has not only
accelerated the process, but ithas kept my mind on the client
engagements that we have, thecreativity that we have in
innovating around our newproducts and allowing Deb and
(19:03):
Ann to do their job.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, I want to go back to something you said about
no matter how big of a platform, you still love the process of
one-on-one conversation andwatching people light up.
I think a lot of that.
Well, we've used strengths as atool forever.
I'm curious to know why that is, because I don't know that we
(19:27):
would identify ourselves as astrengths company anymore in the
way that we used to, but it'sstill a part of what we do and
I'm just curious if you couldtouch on why that is, why the
importance and continued use ofyes, this one tool in particular
, but maybe more of thephilosophy in general, over 25
years, it seems like there's somany new things that come and go
(19:49):
that people try and trysomething else and do that.
But why that?
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Well, number one.
I'm still a massive advocateand entrepreneur innovator with
how to use strengths.
The reason why I believe in itso strongly is because it is a
psychometric.
It is rooted in positivepsychology, something that I
studied in my undergraduate.
Our whole approach and how wedo our consulting and executive
coaching and our speaking isframed by the characteristics of
(20:17):
positive psychology.
So that's what I like, becauseI also believe that the
strengths language has alwaysbeen about emphasizing and
amplifying what is good andright about human beings, and
fundamentally I believe in thegoodness of people and if
there's a tool out there thatcan amplify, can identify what
is beautiful and brilliant aboutthat and our work can amplify
that.
(20:37):
I'm about that every single day.
And the reason why strengths isimportant to me is because I
understand the history of wherestrengths came from.
I knew the people that createdit and I understand that part of
what we're trying to do isreally pull up or pull up the
shades or draw back the curtainon someone's internal light and
(20:58):
let the world be enlightened bythe brightness of someone's
beauty.
That's why I continue to usethat tool Now as I've matured or
gotten not mature, but as I'vegotten older I've also realized
this that it's also importantfor me to be somewhat tool
agnostic, because there are manytools out there that are doing
(21:20):
the same thing.
There are amazing executivecoaches and consultants and
speakers that use tools and theimplication of their tool is to
do the same thing.
There are amazing executivecoaches and consultants and
speakers that use tools and theimplication of their tool is to
do the same thing, is to elevateand heighten someone's
awareness of their uniquepersonality, their emotions,
their unique aspirations in life.
And so for me to come alongsideand say, well, one tool is
better than the other is toreally exclude me from the
(21:43):
conversation.
I want us to be included in theconversation about health and
well-being, how it can beprofessionally engaged and
emotionally healthy.
Whatever tool someone chooses,well, I don't care, but what I
do care more about is theprocess.
So, yes, we're still massiveadvocates and voices in the
strength-based movement.
(22:04):
Yes, in the use of tools.
And how that applies to our bookis I really believe that in the
last 25 years, we don't bringjudgment to how someone shows up
or what they believe or whattheir lived experience is,
because the shape that someonepresents to us when we meet them
isn't the shape that someonehas to stay.
(22:26):
There's something within usthat can evolve or can emerge if
we go through a series ofchanges or a process of
transformation to become morewhole and self-accepting of who
we are, more in love withourselves.
That, I believe, is fundamentalto this next era is how can we
really be committed to the workthat we've always done?
(22:49):
How can we take the work thatwe've always done and open it up
to more people and to morepractitioners?
And what is a unique metaphorto demonstrate that?
I believe that we've landed onthat with the Uragami Crane.
I believe that we've landed onthat with the origami crane.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Yeah, yeah, sorry, I'm trying to think of my next
question.
The name of the company isLeadership Vision Consulting.
We've kind of droppedconsulting, but it's too
expensive to get a different URLLeadership Vision Vision.
What does that mean?
The book talks a lot about thisorigami crane who had this
(23:31):
vision that they wanted to be apaper plane.
Yep, um, talk about that wordspecifically from the 1999 brian
to the 2025 brian.
How has that word changed andevolved?
Yeah, it's somewhat open-ended.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Just talk to me about vision In the beginning there
was a word, and that word wasleadership, Leadership, vision.
The name comes from twophilosophies, and these
philosophies are the same that Icarry with me today.
Number one I believe thateveryone's a leader, and by
leader I mean that all peoplehave influence, influence on the
environment around them, thepeople and the relationships
(24:10):
that they're in.
And when we have influence withand among others, we are, in a
way, leading them by our example.
So I really still I do stillbelieve strongly that everyone's
a leader, that there'ssomething inside of each one of
us that can inspire andinfluence others and in that way
, we are, in a way, leading them.
(24:30):
Vision.
Why vision?
Because I believe that eachperson has a unique vision, a
unique perspective.
That is the way that they seethe world, how they interpret
color and feeling and emotionsand in their environments, and
that unique vision is how theyprocess information and who they
belong to, how they form theirrelationships.
(24:51):
Their vision is what inspiresthem to dream.
Their vision could be whatinspires them to do something
that they would never reallybelieve they could do because
they saw it.
And vision to me is also asense of do because they saw it.
And vision to me is also asense of inspiration, something
that's more internal, more ofyour gut, that inspires us to
look somewhere else.
(25:11):
That vision, that perspectiveof what we bring to the world.
I believe that that also needsto be amplified and heard in
other people.
So for me, the name LeadershipVision is as important as it
always has been.
And with the book, the origamicrane has a dream to fly and she
(25:31):
sees her vision.
She sees an example of flightand it is that vision that
inspires her to take the firstinitial steps of change.
And it's that vision that alsoinspires her to ask for help, to
go through transformation sothat she can actually achieve
(25:53):
her dream of flight.
And it's through the process oftransformation that she is
inviting others into the processand that way she too is leading
those around her.
So leadership vision is astightly woven and integrated
into our daily work as it was inthe beginning.
I would argue even more,because it is a central part of
(26:15):
the main thread of what makesour book come to life for me,
and that is each one of us havedreams, and those dreams can
inspire us to unfold ourgreatest potential.
And it isn't until we begin toreally believe that we can dream
that we will be able to beginto explore Explore who we are as
(26:35):
people, what resources we havearound us and who can help us.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Brian, I love that and I'm going to butcher this,
so correct this.
But one of my favorite parts inthe book is this idea, or I
don't know if favorite's theright word, but the part that
made me think a lot is there'sthis idea where Osi the Oregon
crane has Our main character.
It's scary, she's comfortable,it's like I could I don't really
(27:04):
necessarily have to turn into aplane Like I can.
I can stay this way and some ofthe other characters are
encouraging her to do that.
But through the process ofunfolding and refolding and all
of that, and I wonder how manypeople, how many leaders you've
seen over the years who have avision to be a plane, have just
(27:24):
and let's say, plane is ametaphor for something bigger
and brighter than they are now.
But because it's too hard,because it's like, well,
actually where I'm at now isn'tbad, it's just maybe a little
okay, they just they don't.
They don't go through thatprocess and I don't know, maybe
to close things out, how wouldyou because you've gone through
that process time and time againin this 25 years, I don't know,
(27:45):
maybe to close things out howwould you, because you've gone
through that process time andtime again in this 25 years.
I don't even know what I'masking here, other than maybe
what are some tips or advice orways that you have forced
yourself to change over the 25years to get to this other place
where you wanted to go, like,what are some of the things that
have allowed you to do that andnot be like you know what?
It's okay, this isn't what Iwant exactly, but it's good
(28:07):
enough, you know, and not subtlemaybe is what I'm asking this
is going to be good.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
Can you, can you find a question in there.
What you're referencing, nathan, is a scene and it's a main
plot line in the book.
What I think is interestingabout dreams is no one tells you
about the dreams deception, andI think the dreams deception is
that we can reach our dreamsfrom the place they originate.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
We can reach our dreams through the place, from
the place from dreams originate.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Okay, unpack that.
I'm going to unpack that, thankyou.
I believe dreams are birthwhere we're at and dreams are
achieved somewhere else, and thejourney from here to there
requires us to change, to askfor help, to not give up and to
experience transformation,because I believe that, like in
(29:04):
our story, there are many peoplethat think that they can reach
their dreams from where they are, with their current skill sets,
and what we're inviting peopleto do is to imagine what skills
or capacities that they havethat they may not have resourced
yet, that they'll need toachieve their dreams.
To achieve their dreams, andare you willing to go through
(29:27):
the process of letting somethings go, turning some new
things over, trying andexperimenting, asking for help,
overcoming fear and anxiety andstress to really be able to
transform, to achieve somethingthat you thought was impossible?
Speaker 1 (29:43):
That's good, and I can't help but think in that.
So you and I are running theBoston Marathon together this
year.
I don't know how much togetherthere will be, if you're going
to leave me at some point.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
Depends on whose plan you're going to be running with
.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
But, as you were talking, this has been something
I've been working towards for10 years.
I never thought it was possible.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
I already knew it was possible for you to get to the
Boston Marathon.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
But all of that is true, like changing, like what
got you here is not going to getyou there, and being willing to
change and experiment and gothrough pain and go through
setbacks, but not giving up.
And sometimes I just think, ifI can apply that same idea to
other areas of my life, thingswould be.
I mean, other things are badlife things would be.
(30:32):
I mean, other things are bad.
But I'm just excited for thisbook to come out, to get an
actual physical copy in my handsthat I can reference instead of
like scrolling up and down in agoogle doc like where's that
part again?
so your whole training process.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Yeah, it completely maps to the story of the book,
because you know that I thinkyou have so much talent just
folded away that I just I'veseen you run.
I just I believe you have thatand I think that each time you
attempt a marathon you trysomething new.
(31:02):
You've always done that.
You tried new training plansand you you do really stretch
yourself and you push yourselfto find new limits, to find new
barriers to work through stuff.
You always do that and you askfor help.
You ask for help in more complexways than I ever asked for help
, that's true, and you rely onthat help to get you to the
(31:24):
markers and the goals that youhave in your training program.
But then it's always going tocome down to race day and you
tend to do really well withsomeone else beside you, and
that's really the pathway thatwe're talking about with just
life, Like who is it that'sgoing to help you along the way?
And, nathan, one of the thingsthat I've realized with you is
(31:47):
you have groups of people thathelp you get to certain things
in your life that are for thatdistinct journey and for a
different part of your life.
You have different people forthat journey, and what I think
is unique about you is you havea much broader resource group
than I ever had, or that I everresourced, because that's just
the way that you're wired justthe way that you're wired.
(32:08):
And so I think that there are alot of lessons that people can
learn from the way that youtrain and do life, about how to
ask for help, how to experimentand practice, how to really dial
in on what is going to work,and then what you'll always do
better than me on race day havemore fun with it than I will.
That's true.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
Well, and to bring this back.
So when I hit record, we weretalking about the book the
Comfort Crisis, which isessentially about how do you
push and challenge yourself outof our most of our very
comfortable existence to reallysee what we're made of, to maybe
try things and fail andexperiment and to do different
things.
And there's a whole section inthe book where he's talking
(32:49):
about how impermanent mostthings are in life, just the
idea of impermanence, and soeven if you're trying something
and it's not going well, it'llbe over soon and you can try
something else.
And I think that's in part whatthe book is about too, as this
little origami crane keepsthrowing herself off the slide
and just keeps running to treesand whatever else.
(33:11):
It's like the first so muchlike life the first two times
you do that you're like thishurts, I'm done.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
Um, but don't give up .
Speaker 1 (33:17):
Maybe that's that's the secondary, tertiary message
here.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
But anyway, how many things in life, Nathan, what we
try.
Life, Nathan, what we try, ifwe're guaranteed a 50% chance of
success, if everything goeswell, which is central to that
book.
That to me, is just how manythings in life I've never done.
If that was the risk, yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
One of the things my kids will say to me if I'm like,
hey, try this new food, they'relike well, what if I don't like
it?
I was like, but what if you dolike it?
What if this is your newfavorite thing?
And if you don't try it, youwon't know.
Right now you have a 50-50 shot, so let's try it and then
you'll learn something about it.
And I think people, kids,adults, everybody is sometimes
(34:04):
too afraid of trying thingsbecause they're always worried
about the worst case scenarioversus the best case scenario.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
And you know what I think?
If we, as people, are willingto take the risk, we will also
find that there are people inour lives that are willing to
inspire us through their wisdom,through the lessons that
they've learned, and they'rewilling to teach us how to take
the next few steps.
And we will also recognize thatthere are people in our lives
who always believe that we coulddo it, and they were there,
waiting on the other side of theobstacle, to encourage us and
(34:33):
to welcome us into that newplace that we didn't know we
were going to get to.
Those people are there too, andthey are just as important as
the ones that are there to helpus dust the dirt off and try
again.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Thank you for listening to the Leadership
Vision Podcast, our show helpingyou build positive team culture
For more resources aboutdeveloping yourself, your team
or your whole organization.
You can visit the link in theshow notes or visit us on the
web atleadershipvisionconsultingcom.
Unfolded Lessons inTransformation from an Origami
Crane comes out June 4th 2025.
(35:09):
You can go to shoobringscom orclick the link in the show notes
to learn more about that.
I'm Nathan Friberg and I'mBrian Shubring and, on behalf of
our entire team, thanks forlistening.
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