Episode 1535: Interview with Mark Teague Author of A Working Man's Guide

In this #podcast episode I interview Mark Teague. I ask Mark about his book “A Working Man’s Guide” and how values affect legacy. I also ask Mark about how we can stay true to our personal values in business and in life. Mark also talks with me about how we confirm information and challenge our biases.

 

Show Notes and Resources.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Thanks for joining us on episode 1535 of the Inspired Stewardship
Podcast. I'm Mark Teague.
I challenge you to invest in yourself,
invest in others,
develop your influence and impact the world by using your time,
your talent and your treasures to live out your calling.
Having the ability to recognize how our responsibilities are also our

(00:25):
opportunities is key.
And one way to be inspired to do that is to
listen to this the Inspired Stewardship Podcast with my friend Scott
Mater. Very,
very frustrated that people didn't see an objective the way I

(00:47):
did because I didn't know any different.
I'd grown up that way.
We're going to get it done.
Period. End of discussion.
That's just the way you go about work versus all manner
of distractions and counterproductive behavior and playing politics instead of getting
things done.
Welcome and thank you for joining us on the Inspired Stewardship

(01:08):
Podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God
wants you to be,
then you must learn to use your time,
your talent and your treasures for your true calling.
In the Inspired Stewardship Podcast,
you will learn to invest in yourself,
invest in others,
and develop your influence so that you you can impact the

(01:30):
world. In this podcast episode,
I interview Mark Teague.
I asked Mark about his book A Working Man's Guide and
how values affect legacy.
I also asked Mark about how we can stay true to
our personal values in business and in life.

(01:51):
And Mark also talks with me about how we confirm information
and challenge our biases.
I have a great book that's been out for a while
now called Inspired Assemble the Puzzle of youf Calling by Mastering
youg Time,
your Talent and your Treasures.
You can find out more about that book [e-mail]

(02:12):
it'll take you to a page where there's information and you
can sign up to get some mailings about it as well
as purchase a copy there.
I'd love to see you get a copy and share with
me how it impacted your world.
Dr. Mark L.
Teague is a seasoned executive,
entrepreneur and author whose remarkable journey from farmhand to finance executive

(02:33):
has equipped him with a wealth of knowledge and unique insights
into the challenges facing the American working class.
With a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Oklahoma State University and
an impressive track record in the banking and finance industry,
Dr. Teague has established himself as an authority on navigating the
modern business landscape while staying true to traditional values.

(02:56):
Driven by a deep rooted belief in the power of principled
living and the importance of preserving the American working class,
Dr. Teague's mission is to empower Working men with the tools
and wisdom they need to thrive in their careers,
relationship and personal lives.
He champions the working class,
advocating for personal responsibility,
resilience and the pursuit of meaningful goals.

(03:17):
His professional journey and dedication to traditional values in a modern
world position him as a trusted guide for those striving to
build a legacy of significance.
His most recent book is A Working Man's Strong Values,
Strong Life,
Strong Legacy.
When he's not writing,
reading or advising,
Dr. Teague enjoys spending time with his wife Melissa,
their four children and nine grandchildren on their Texas ranch.

(03:40):
An avid outdoorsman,
he finds joy in alpine skiing,
hiking, camping and exploring nature with his family.
Dr. Teague is also passionate about the shooting sports and cherishes
the moments he spends teaching his grandchildren to ski and appreciate
the great outdoors.
Welcome to the show,
Mark. Good to be here,
Scott. It's a pleasure to join you.

(04:01):
I hope we can add value to your audience.
That's the purpose here.
Absolutely. That's always the goal and I'm sure that you'll do
that today.
So I talked a little bit in the intro about some
of the things that you've done over the years working in
the financial industry,
being a kind of a farmer,
ag, ranch kind of person,

(04:21):
and then also now an Arthur who's written a great book.
But I think intros and those sorts of things never really
show the whole story of how we get to someplace where
we're at.
So talk a little bit more about your journey and what
brought you to the point of being where you're now trying
to put this message out in the world.
Thank you,

(04:41):
Scott. There is one thing that I want to highlight and
emphasize. It's really unique.
I think to Melissa and I.
We have a perspective that's been shaped in a way that
I think can help most people and that most people don't
enjoy in terms of personal experience,
that is,
if you look at this arc of life,
this path we've gone on,

(05:02):
as you point out in the intro,
we started in very traditional America,
old fashioned setting,
farm and ranch,
just as America was in the 1700s,
1800s. Those are the values and the daily incentives that we
grew up with.
And there's something in parallel to that that is important for
folks to understand.

(05:22):
As you're involved in the economy,
as you're trying to figure out how to make a living,
you're trying to build a business.
It's always important to get perspective.
What we face today,
it didn't just happen,
it didn't start yesterday.
There are some very strong forces that are shaping that.
And I outline this in chapter six of my book.
Let me highlight it here.
If you look at the study of economic history and development,

(05:47):
there is a stage and phase view that most every developed
nation has gone through.
And it's basically this.
If you look at the history of humanity,
humans started in the tribal nomadic phase.
That's the way everyone lived and died for thousands and thousands
of years.
Very long time frames,
epochs in fact.

(06:07):
And then you progress into an agrarian society.
As the intentional cultivation of crops and livestock provided a more
stable food supply,
people migrated to that way of living that brought about cities,
brought about roads and trade,
et cetera.
That changed humanity in a great way.
And then you get the Industrial revolution,

(06:28):
by most accounts,
by authoritative accounts,
that started in 1760 and in Great Britain and the UK
only about 260 years ago.
And then following that you have the service economy and then
you have the knowledge economy.
Those forces shape our present day reality in foundational,

(06:49):
fundamental ways.
Melissa and I lived most of those phases personally.
Ourself we started in the agrarian world,
very steeped in that way of living.
We went through the industrial revolution,
we went through the service economy all the way to the
knowledge economy in our career,
in our family.
That has really shaped our mindset.

(07:11):
And I think we can help people in a way that
what's really important today is if we bring old fashioned values
and combine that with the modern world,
we apply those old fashioned American values in a modern setting.
There's great power to that.
We can speak to that the way that most people can.
And that shapes us a great deal to this day that

(07:32):
that experience.
So talk back a little bit about start now.
What, what was the beginning and the foundation for you that
you think you've built from?
I think some of the most important things.
One is definitely work ethic in that environment,
farm and ranch.
It really is.
If you don't work,
you don't eat.
It's very simple.
The feedback is immediate.

(07:53):
It's every day you see what you got done and what
you didn't.
You don't play games.
If you fiddle around,
your entire annual ranch revenue and livelihood is affected very quickly.
So the feedback is quick,
the feedback loop is firm and if you play games there,
you'll starve,
you will starve out.
So that was very fundamental and many other values like that,

(08:15):
but that one comes to mind quickly.
So talk a little bit about your faith journey and how
that's intersected with your life journey and the message that you
want to put out.
It is Quite important.
And first of all,
I have to give credit to my parents.
My wife and I,
both our parents raised us in a very faithful home.
So the Christian faith was prominent.

(08:36):
And in our upbringing they taught us,
they taught us character traits and a couple things that stand
out for me.
There were three many values,
but three big ones,
three chief values that my parents taught me and that's to
be honest,
to be respectful and to work hard.
Those were non negotiable.
You would do those things or you would suffer the consequences.

(08:58):
That was taught day by day,
moment by moment.
And then I adopted those myself and so did my wife.
And that has shaped us deeply.
Another effect is I was certainly would never impose a particular
faith on everyone,
on anyone.
But we were raised in the Christian faith.
And there's an experience that happened with me.
I was seven years old.
I remember it very vividly,

(09:19):
very powerfully.
It changed me a great deal.
I just remember this phase of just a few weeks where
I just had this awareness that there's something empty,
there's something missing.
I had this burden that rested upon my heart and I
was just a young child,
seven years old.
I didn't understand it,
but I knew it was real.
I knew it was quite,

(09:41):
it was visceral to me.
It was though I understood that God exists and I don't
know him.
I know he's there.
There's a deep void inside and we're separated.
So I sat down with my parents,
especially my mom,
and we talked it over and she explained to me the,
the work of Christ,
what he did,
what he taught,
his death,
his burial,

(10:01):
his resurrection.
And that was the path,
that was the gateway,
that was the way to bridge the gap between myself and
the Almighty.
I accepted that,
I prayed that prayer and I accepted Christ as my Savior.
That was a born again moment for me and it made
a world of difference.
That void was lifted,
it was filled.

(10:22):
I understood the purpose behind it and my parents led me
through that.
It meant a world to me.
And there's another effect in terms of faith.
When we left the farm and we were grown adults,
we had a family,
a young family.
This is in 1986.
We were married in 1990.
We left the farm and went to Oklahoma State University.

(10:43):
And then after graduating in 95,
we joined the corporate world.
That first seven years I had a very interesting experience.
The for some reason the banking industry is filled with atheists.
There were a bunch.
I worked with a lot of them,
them and dedicated hardcore atheists.
And in particular there were three,
three associates and it was over a period of about seven

(11:04):
years. We worked very closely together,
we got to know each other,
we had international trips,
large projects,
late late meetings,
long days,
international travel together.
And we,
they were very forceful,
they were very aggressive in wanting to discuss matters of faith.
I found it interesting to not believe in God.

(11:25):
That's all they wanted to talk about was God.
They would bring up the topic and they peppered me with
questions or why do you do this?
Why do you think that,
why would,
how could you possibly believe that,
etc. Etc.
That went on for quite some time and that was a
very deepening experience to me.
I treasure that.
That made me be very reflective.

(11:45):
I studied a great deal that drove my faith very deep.
It took it to places that I never would have gone
without that I never would have understood.
I treasure that.
So those are some key points of the power of faith
and how that is intersected with our life.
You just mentioned you moved from the farm,

(12:05):
the agrarian,
into the corporate world.
What were the things that you found similar about the corporate
environment and different as you made that transition?
Yes, one,
one thing that's the same is a focus on productivity and
getting things done,
making a difference and achieving your goals.
That was explicit,

(12:26):
outright. I appreciated that a great deal.
What was hugely different was how that was done and the
focus and the skills and the mindset brought to that was
very different.
And that's part of that old America versus New America that
I've referred to.
That that shaped me immensely.

(12:48):
It, you know what,
what I realized very quickly as I got into the corporate
ranks, I became a manager fairly quick.
Just within a few months,
about nine months,
I started my management portion,
my career,
and I built that all the way through to C suite
jobs and a part owner in a private equity fund,
et cetera.
So I started in the bottom ranks and worked my way

(13:09):
up through the corporate ranks and then became a business owner
and such.
And very early,
as soon as I started managing teams,
you could see the fundamental difference in mindset.
And I saw the challenge of I need to be able
to reach goals,
achieve objectives,
just like I did in a farm setting,
but I need to do it in a team where they

(13:30):
do not accept those values,
they do not demonstrate that focus and hardcore work ethic that
I grew up.
So I had the challenge of bringing people into those old
fashioned values in a modern setting and achieve goals today in
the modern world.
That shaped me fundamentally made a huge difference in how I

(13:51):
approach things.
How did that change and form the way that you view
leadership and leading a team.
Yes. The first thing was a great deal of frustration.
Very frustrated that people didn't see an objective the way I
did, because I didn't know any different.
I'd grown up that way.
So we're going to get it done,
period, End of discussion.

(14:11):
That's just the way you go about work versus all manner
of distractions and counterproductive behavior and playing politics instead of getting
things done.
Productivity in the modern world can be viewed as a very
cutthroat relationship.
Effort versus get the work done,
that's the main thing.
Get the work done.
And so it started with frustration and then it evolved into

(14:35):
assessment and then it evolved into a framework.
So I took that frustration and I took that to assessment.
I started to think,
okay, so what's really going on here?
What's driving that?
Why do we have these distractions and counterproductive behavior when the
objectives are clear?
I developed a framework,
I did that within probably four or five years and then

(14:58):
I applied that,
I made it official and now it's part of my book.
It's chapter six in my book.
I call it the Impact Index.
It's possible to look at fundamental human behavior,
focus on what you need.
You can assess employees based upon that,
and within this framework you then create a high performing team.
And so that framework and that that application is a result

(15:22):
of that.
And I found it to be very effective.
It's a very effective use.
I call it again the Impact Index.
It's a management tool that allows you to take any setting,
any teamwork,
any team of any kind,
and get the kind of focus that you would have had
in 1750 upon an objective and do it in a modern

(15:42):
way, it was very useful.
So when you think about that idea of the work environment
and how oftentimes there's other things going on in the corporate
environment. Yes.
Whether that's politics,
whether that's the cutthroat.
Like you said,
very transactional.
A lot of small business owners feel like that's the only
way to do business.
Right. That that's the model that you see.

(16:03):
That's what success,
everyone tells you,
that's the road to success.
Focus on the bottom line.
Ignore people,
ignore values and just get her done.
But get it done in a different way than I think
you're talking about.
So what do you see is that conflict?
And how can business owners negotiate that and hold true to
values that they may hold dear?

(16:24):
The world is telling them they can't operate that way.
Yep, I understand totally.
I face that frustration.
I was burned by that many times.
Here's the thing,
here's what I would say to all the entrepreneurs and the
business owners and the middle managers,
the folks that are trying to build an executive career.
Here's the thing that you have to have seared into your

(16:46):
mind and that's this.
You must have a center.
You must have a foundation.
What's your North Star?
What's your guidepost?
Life is going to buffet you beyond what you can stand.
It's going to twist you around,
turn you upside down.
If you have no center,
then there is no telling where you'll wind up.

(17:08):
That's what pressure does to people.
The pressure is waiting on you.
It's going to happen.
You don't have a choice in that matter.
It's going to find you.
The pressure is going to shape you.
It's going to assault you.
The question is,
what have you chosen as your guidepost,
as your North Star?
Now here's where I will say two things at once.
One, I am not,

(17:28):
I do not impose a faith upon anyone.
I am also going to declare clearly what I've done.
I chose my guidepost.
I chose my North Star.
That's the God of the Hebrews.
I choose the God that's described in the Holy Scriptures.
I take that as what I point to as a moral
center. And I draw upon that.

(17:49):
I would draw upon that.
And throughout every day,
pressure. What hap the difference is that pressure then drives you
into those principles and you understand those principles deeper than ever
and you apply them well.
If you have no center,
good luck.
It's. There's no telling where you'll wind up there.

(18:09):
There's no end to it.
It can be anywhere.
And it's usually unethical.
It's usually deeply self centered.
That was one of the defining characteristics I noticed about my
atheist friends.
They were all deeply selfish people.
Makes sense.
That's all you have left.
If you just look to yourself,
you have nothing but you.
So that will be your focus.
I found that to be completely inadequate.

(18:32):
Not up to the challenge,
not up to the task.
So that's what I would say first and foremost to that
entrepreneur, that you must have a center.
You must have a North Star.
And mine was the good book,
the holy scriptures.
I chose that.
So I would run to that.
And not just in times of trouble,
every day,
in good times as well.

(18:52):
That shapes you,
that forms you and that you must have it.
There's no substitute for that.
You have to have something.
You fall back on one of the things too that I
think is a tension that I've seen in small business owners,
but even in the corporate world is,
for that matter,
even in church and volunteer settings as well.
Yes, there's that constant tension between wanting to do things that

(19:17):
are new,
that are different,
that are maybe experiment,
and then the kind of twin thing of we've always done
it this way or we've never done that before,
you know,
and that,
that tension between those and I think that's somewhat of that
is just human nature.
When you look at how entrepreneurs think about innovation,

(19:38):
but at the same time want to stay true to what
works and what their traditional values or even what they've done
before in business that's succeeded.
How do you negotiate that kind of tension between those two
poles? Yes,
let me speak in the business world,
specifically economic activity and business plans,
here's something that a lot of people miss and never understand,

(20:01):
and that's this.
As you sit here in your.
You're in your home,
you're in your vehicle,
you're in your easy chair,
wherever you may be,
you're in your business and you're deciding what you're going to
do to make a living,
how are you going to produce,
how are you going to add value,
how will you contribute?
Here's a thing that a lot of people look over,
and that is you must recognize that There are some 260

(20:25):
million consumers in this country.
They have a say,
they have a vote.
You don't get to make that choice just by yourself.
That's not realistic.
And a lot of folks would like to retreat to that,
decide how I produce,
I'll just make my own choice and do it right here.
There is a burden of freedom.
There is a burden of capitalism that rests upon all of

(20:48):
us. You must be willing to change.
If you're not going to change,
you're going to get run over and left behind.
So I would say recognize that up front that in an
economic sense,
consumers place value.
Consumers determine what will be valued.
As a producer,
I'm trying to find that,

(21:08):
I'm trying to discover that's a fundamental truth that some never
think of,
some would rather reject.
But that truth will find you.
You will have to participate in that.
And I would say that takes away the tension between change
of principles.
So when you're discovering that value,
you, that reality of consumers determine economic value.

(21:29):
Now you bring your traditional values that shape your actions,
they shape your attitudes,
they shape the way you go about things.
But I focused on a consumer.
That is a fact of service.
That's why Free economies do so well and controlled economies do
not is because a free economy is based upon the principle

(21:51):
of service.
I am working to serve my fellow citizens.
That is a fundamental value that's eternal in nature.
It's without beginning,
without end,
top down.
Command and control does not work because it places some organization
or some person at the center.
No, it's everyone we live with.
It's every human walking this planet.

(22:12):
So it works.
And you have to accept that and be willing to change.
And that works a lot better.
And I think I do see businesses that have that service
mindset that succeed,
but often over time that begins to again erode or they
begin to focus on just serving,
either serving themselves or serving their stockholders or serving in a

(22:36):
different way.
They no longer focus on the customer.
The customer there being not only the people that buy their
services, but sometimes the employees and the people that work,
all of those folks too.
How do you see that tension play out and what,
what have you seen work against it?
First of all,
if you do that,
and you're right,
it does happen often,

(22:56):
you will fail.
That pressure will overcome you.
You're going to suffer,
you'll suffer loss.
If you think you already have the answers and you don't
recognize all the things that,
that are changing around you,
you're going to suffer,
you're going to suffer loss.
And here's another fundamental point,
Scott, that I think is quite important.
There's a fundamental choice everyone needs to make about how you

(23:18):
view life.
It. Do you see life as a series of problems coming
your way?
Because that's what it is.
Life is a series of problems.
Every day you get up,
there's going to be a new set coming your way.
Do you accept that and do you accept the responsibility of
being a problem solver?
I'm going to learn the skills,

(23:40):
I'm going to learn the techniques of solving those problems as
they come my way.
Or do you just see that as a hassle?
I'm too good for that.
I should be above that.
You know,
when you have that attitude in a business where you forget
who the customer is,
you know what's driving that?
It's arrogance.
I don't want to face problems.
Change and problems are often synonymous.

(24:02):
They're one and the same.
A problem brings change.
Change, that can be a problem.
It. But if I viewed,
if I'm not surprised by that,
if I accept the fact that life is a series of
problems, I'm going to be a very good problem solver.
Then you take on a stewardship mindset versus a sovereign mindset
that says I don't have to deal with that,

(24:23):
that's beneath me,
I am above that.
That's a hassle.
That dividing line issue that separates wheat from chaff,
it separates men from boys,
it separates achievers and serious people versus children and those that
cannot be relied upon.
If you go down,
you have that fundamental fork in the road,
that path that says problems are a reality of life.

(24:46):
I'm going to face that and I'm going to get really
good at it versus I'm too good for that.
I don't want to mess with that.
That's a hassle that shapes your mindset.
Over time it becomes steeped in your thinking.
I would strongly encourage everyone face the fact that life is
a series of problems.
Become a problem solver.
You will be effective.

(25:07):
You will get things done.
You have a chance to be,
to contribute.
If you think you're too good for that,
your child and problems are just going to bury you.
They're going to cover you up.
One of the other views that I've seen happen that I
think can lead to that,
that, that going down that road is whenever individuals begin to

(25:27):
view the world as a zero sum game.
I've got to get mine because no,
if I don't get mine,
somebody else is going to steal it from me or take
it from me or there's only a limited amount of whatever,
money, time,
energy, I don't care what thing you put in there.
And that abundance mindset versus limiting mindset,

(25:48):
how have you seen that play out as well?
Yes to what?
Let me extend that thought just a little further.
It in those mindsets,
that stewardship mindset versus a sovereignty mindset and in the stewardship
model, I accept the fact that life is a series of
problems. I'm going to work hard at solving them versus the
sovereignty mindset that says I shouldn't be hassled,

(26:08):
I should be above it.
That's where in that second one,
that's where that scarcity mindset comes in.
I see every change as a loss.
I see every gain by someone else as a loss.
To me that is not true.
That in,
in free economics it is not a zero sum game.
I do.
I am not made poor by somebody else getting rich.

(26:29):
Somebody else having a bunch doesn't mean I have a little.
There is a productivity gain that we need to seek.
And let me get down to the fundamental daily part of
this. Here's how this plays out in a daily way.
It's how you make decisions.
And let me State it like this.
If I picked a poem,
a piece of prose that described the American mindset or the

(26:51):
Western mindset,
especially America,
it would be the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley.
And one phrase.
I am the captain of my soul.
That's the way we want things to go,
that I'm in charge,
I'm running things.
I determine what happens and what doesn't happen.
Let's have a little exercise.
Let's make this very simple.
Questions. Take a piece of paper,

(27:12):
grab a pen,
write down the things you actually control,
truly control.
You can guarantee,
man, it's a short list.
The truth is,
you and I don't even know if we're going to make
the dinner table tonight.
We may not wake up in the morning.
This breath I take may be the very last one.
So how much do I really control?

(27:33):
Not much,
actually. I would say I would give this proposition.
There's only one thing I truly control.
That's what I say and do right now,
in this moment.
And the truth is,
as a steward,
that's all I need.
What I say and do right now,
that's all I need to control.
And here's how that plays out,
that mindset.
When I make decisions,

(27:55):
here's how a stewardship mindset goes about that.
The first thing I do,
if I have a decision in front of me,
the first thing I do is gather all the facts,
anything that's true,
anything that's factual and solid.
I gather you could be formal,
write it down,
put it right in front of you.
Then I gather the principles that are applicable to that,

(28:16):
and then the last thing I do is apply my preference.
There's always preference evolved,
but the key difference is you do that at the end,
you don't do it at the start.
Here's the sovereign approach.
I start with my preference.
I then arrange facts,
reject or include them based upon my preference,

(28:37):
and then I go with that throughout.
Because you think you're in charge,
you think you can have whatever you want and the wants
of others don't matter.
This gets so extreme that someone,
when they've chosen their preference,
if another party has a different preference,
they treat that as evil,
as wicked.
Now ask yourself about culture today and ask yourself what we're

(28:59):
doing. We treat differing opinions as though they're wicked.
Instead of being respectful of what others would see their viewpoints.
We think we're sovereign versus having a stewardship approach.
So the fundamental way you make a decisions will solve that
tension that you talk about.
Scott, if you gather facts first,

(29:20):
principles second,
you have all of those in mind as you think through
something, then you apply your preference.
At the end,
you're not going to get stuck.
You're not going to get bound to tradition.
That is not helpful.
You will be moved by the facts.
I have to defer to that great renowned set of theologians,

(29:40):
Black Sabbath.
One of the phrases to their song,
they said,
the devil is never a maker,
and that's the truth.
If something is factual and it's true,
that's from the Almighty,
that's by the hand of God.
So if you thumb your nose at facts,
you're thumbing your nose at truth,

(30:01):
and you're thumbing your nose at God himself.
And that's the way it works out.
So anything Satan or the deceiver would do,
it's deceptive,
it's not true.
It's always manipulation and deceit.
So it's in that everyday sense,
it's, how do I make decisions in a stewardship mindset?
I gather facts first.
I start with that.
I do.
Preference. At the end,

(30:23):
if you gather preference first,
you're not making a decision.
You're rationalizing.
You rationalize what you want.
And there's a whole lot of that that goes on.
And I would challenge us all.
I would challenge the entrepreneurs and the innovators in your audience.
Make sure if you.
The next time you have a decision to make,
stop, gather all the facts,

(30:44):
write them down,
then write down the principles involved,
make sure those are fresh,
top of mind,
and then make a choice,
then apply preference.
You will be far better served if you do that.
There are a host of examples in this modern world where
things just get completely stupid because we're trying to pursue a
sovereign mindset.
In fact,

(31:04):
I'll give you a cultural example.
These last few years,
we've heard all the discussion about the transgender crowd.
While that discussion goes on,
virtually every single cell in your body is stamped with an
X or a Y chromosome.
It's a fixed fact,
a biological fact.
If you start with those facts,

(31:25):
that changes your approach.
And that is a good example of how just absurd you
can get in your thinking,
because you don't start with facts,
you start with preference,
and you rationalize after that.
So one of the things I would add to that about
facts, though,
is I.

(31:46):
I think we have a tendency sometimes to gather facts,
and even without intending to use our own preference of selectively
choose which facts,
we believe you're exactly right.
So I would add to that.
Seek out facts that challenge the things that you think are
facts and examine those as well.

(32:08):
Again, using the.
So I am a geneticist and the X and Y chromosome
is actually not that simple.
There's. There's over 30 different combinations of chromosomes in the human
body. Biology is an example of one that is a much
more complex set of facts than just a black and white

(32:29):
that we like to make it out.
Now, again,
we could argue about the rights and wrongs of different decisions
that are made based on those facts.
Yes. But what happens sometimes is we oversimplify the facts because
we want to put things in boxes.
We want things to be easy.
If we can say yes and no now,
it's easy and there are challenge.
I encourage people to not just because a lot of times

(32:51):
we. Because we're in echo chambers,
we read the same newspapers,
we listen to the same TV shows,
we talk to the same people.
So broaden your mind and try to seek out facts that
make you contradict your facts.
And boy,
is that painful and hard.
Yeah, that's the role of humility.
And I would say it like this.
We need to have a reverence for facts.

(33:11):
We bow our knee to what is true and we seek
out what is true.
And you're exactly right.
If you start,
if you have predetermined ideas about what facts are and you're
not open to that,
that is rationalizing.
You are applying preference right up at the top.
And we should bow our knee to facts.
And humility plays a huge role in that.
And again,
it's. It's what?

(33:32):
It's another one of those things.
It's. It's simple.
It's not easy.
And it's simple meaning.
Yeah, you're right.
It's an easy done.
It's simple to explain.
And everyone will look at that and go,
I agree.
But then to actually do it is actually much more challenging
at times for all of us.
Again, that's just in part because we don't know all the

(33:52):
answers. The humility of I'm limited in my knowledge and everyone
else is limited in theirs as well.
Yes, sir.
So I've got a few questions I like to ask all
of my guests.
But before I go there,
is there anything else about your work or your book,
a Working Man's Guide that you'd like to share with the
listener? That,

(34:13):
that choice,
that reality of.
In a business sense,
and as you're pursuing livelihood,
put the consumers first.
I would repeat that that is critical and that's how value
gets added in a,
in an open economy.
So bring that top of mind.
And that's.
I would state that for sure.
So you mentioned stewardship several times.

(34:34):
Of course,
my brand is inspired stewardship and I run things through that
lens of stewardship.
What does that word mean to you and what has its
impact been on you?
Hit. I frame it as that.
Those competing models,
competing mental models.
You have the stewardship mindset versus the sovereignty mindset.
That's how I've chosen to look,

(34:56):
that's how I've developed that thought line.
And that has been very helpful in the business world in
terms of checking bad habits.
Those flow from that sovereignty mindset.
I think I'm more important than I really am.
I think I control more than I really control.
As you adjust for that,
you account for that that drives you toward the stewardship mindset.

(35:19):
And I recognize that I am placed here in this difficult
and problematic world.
And I have gifts,
I have skills,
I have talents,
I have abilities.
And I need to make the most of that.
I need to do the most good with those tools and
abilities that I can versus being a complainer,
a whiner,

(35:40):
someone that is not reliable.
Because I think life is a hassle and I'm trying to
escape. I want to get away from those trials and tests
and the difficulties of daily life.
If I take on a stewardship mindset,
I'm humble,
I'm committed,
I'm hard working,
and you can depend on me.
You can rely on me as a.

(36:00):
As a colleague,
as a business partner,
as a fellow citizen.
And I see it that way.
I've developed that over time and I teach that myself and
that's the way I view it.
So I think it's one of those fundamental foundational things in
life that become part of your North Star.
They become part of your guideposts,
part of your foundation,

(36:21):
your bedrock,
upon which,
on which you stand.
And I really like your.
As you expounded upon gathering facts and the difficulty therein.
I appreciate that a great deal.
I really like that because it's a lifestyle,
it's a mindset.
You drive into it,
you never arrive,
you're never fully complete,
but it becomes a habit,

(36:42):
a practice,
and you get better at it.
And the richness of wisdom that you find in that is,
it's. It's profound.
I wouldn't have it any other way,
but those two mindsets define it for me.
And you drive into that with each day of your life.
It makes you better and life richer and fuller every step
of the way.
Absolutely. So this is my favorite question that I like to

(37:03):
ask everybody.
Imagine for a moment that I invented this magic machine and
with the power of this machine,
I was able to pluck you from where you are today
and transport you into the future,
maybe 150,
maybe 250 years.
And through the power of this machine you were able to
look back and see your entire life,
see all of the connections,
all of the ripples,

(37:24):
all of the impacts you've left behind.
What impact do you hope you've left in the world?
I think there are a couple of things,
Scott. One is I hope I'm remembered as an honest man.
I hope in just in its simplest form,
transparent, straightforward,
say what I mean what I say and I hope that
I'm remembered that way as a man of my word.

(37:44):
I hope that's the case and the specifically I want to
make a positive impact on the American working class families.
I care deeply,
I have a deep passion for that.
I hope that comes through in terms of impact.
And in light of that,
there's one idea that I would add is that is everyone
needs to understand.
I am a trained economist.

(38:05):
I have a PhD in economics.
I applied that through my entire career.
I still apply it to this day.
You have to understand there is no value inherent in economics
except gain.
That's the only one that is inherent in both theory and
activity, theory and practice.
The value of gain is the only one that is inherent

(38:27):
in that concept.
If there are to be values,
if there are to be character traits,
we must bring it to the game.
We bring it ourselves.
Values occur,
they're not going to just jump up,
grab you out there somewhere.
There's not going to be a value of honesty that you
stumble upon and it shapes you bring it to the game.
So each of your listeners,

(38:48):
each of the innovators and the entrepreneurs there,
just understand the only values inherent in your business activity will
be what you bring to the exercise,
what you bring to the effort.
And I hope to leave that as a legacy.
I truly do.
So what's on the roadmap?
What's coming next for you as you continue on your journey?

(39:09):
That's an excellent question.
I'm going to continue as an advocate for the working class
family, primarily two ways,
education. Speaking about these foundational principles,
what they mean,
how you do them,
and also in terms of public policy.
There are things that we need to stop doing.
There are things that we should reshape and refabricate.

(39:30):
I want to speak to those as well.
That's what I'll be working on.
Awesome. So you can find out more about Mark Teague at
his website and you can find out more about his book
there as well.
The website is a workingmansguide.com
I'll have a link to that over in the show notes
as well as a link to his book.
Mark, is there anything else you'd like to share with the

(39:50):
listener? You know,
I would just call your attention right now to the book
itself. It's called A Working Man's Guide.
And as Scott just mentioned,
that's the website.
Drop the apostrophe.
Keep the a workingmansguide.com
you can also find us on Facebook two different profiles.
One is a Dr.
Mark L.
Teague and one is a working man's guide.

(40:12):
Those two profiles will bring you a wealth of information and
on that website you can purchase directly.
I have all versions and products of the book available for
sale there and it's supporting material as well.
And if you want,
I'm happy to do presentations.
I'm happy to do courses.
I would say direct message me on Facebook to begin with

(40:32):
and then I'll give you personal phone and email contact.
We can work out arrangements.
So we do bulk sales.
We do coursework as well.
So I would be happy to engage with that.
Thanks so much for listening to the Inspired Stewardship podcast.

(40:52):
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we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen,
but act on what you've heard and find a way to
live your calling.
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(41:12):
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(41:32):
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