July 15, 2025 • 17 mins
What happens when you realize your head is bleeding from banging it against the wall of repeated behaviors? Lou Winter's riveting account of personal transformation begins with this visceral metaphor for the frustration that accompanies stagnation.
"I absolutely believe in holistic wellbeing," Winter explains, outlining his rigorous daily practices: 5:30 AM workouts, weekend beach runs, meditation, yoga, and consuming a book weekly. But his journey toward this balanced life wasn't straightforward. With refreshing candor, he admits to having been "a professional drinker" whose habits eventually stopped serving his growth. "Didn't serve me anymore," he reflects simply, marking the profound shift in his relationship with himself.
The conversation delves deep into ego management—distinguishing between its destructive and constructive forms. Winter describes moving from being "the apex predator" concerned primarily with personal success to finding fulfillment by elevating others. "Am I serving my wife properly? Am I serving my children properly? Am I serving my team properly?" These questions revolutionized his approach to leadership, culminating in his creation of a succession plan at The Pacific Institute where he now serves as CEO Emeritus.
Perhaps most compelling is Winter's account of navigating his consultancy through COVID-19's existential threat. Faced with an analog company suddenly needing digital transformation, he embraced vulnerability and innovation. "What got us here won't get us there," he acknowledges, quoting Marshall Goldsmith's wisdom on the necessity of evolution.
Ready to explore your own pattern interrupts? This episode offers practical wisdom for anyone seeking to break cycles that no longer serve their growth. Subscribe now and join our community of intentional leaders committed to both personal development and serving others.
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Hi, I’m Marc Thomas, Founder and CEO of Current TEK Solutions and CYBER GUARDIANS. If you or someone you know could benefit from our cutting-edge IT and cybersecurity services, we’d love to help. Reach out to us today to learn how we can secure and elevate your business. https://www.currentTEKsolutions.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
But I'm so glad I went through my own pattern
interrupts.
But the only way it happened,Mark, is because my forehead was
bleeding.
Do you know why my forehead wasbleeding?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
No, why Mark?
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Good setup, thank you , because I was beating it
against the freaking wall,thinking that I could just do
this same stuff over and overagain and I would still be on
this upward trajectory.
But I said, man, if anything,I'm sliding backwards.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Help me understand um , you personally, um, how do you
, how do you maintain yourgrowth-oriented mindset um and
balancing everything you knowyou talked about the other
businesses and your, your career, your family and your own
personal you know development.
How do you maintain all that?
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Yeah, again, great question, mark.
I'll say all of the above, butI'll get more specific.
I absolutely believe, and I'mreading a book by Dr Atiyah now.
I'll tell the audience what itis but it's about holistic
wellness, holistic wellbeing.
Just giving more referenceshere, more reference materials.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
No, I love it and we put everything in the episode
notes right Things you referencewhen you reference atomic
habits, whether you reference noRobbins or-.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
No Robbins, right, and then Dr Brene Brown, but
this is Outlive the science andart of longevity.
Peter Atiyah, it's a highlyrecommended well, the guy's an
MD, so he's got the pedigree buthe talks about holistic
(01:42):
wellness and I want sharing.
I want to share with you in theaudience that we already know
all this stuff.
What we do at the PacificInstitute is just sort of
package common sense.
You know it's a user's guide toour mind and so what?
What what Dr Atiyah shares isall medically sound, but it's,
it's this holistic wellbeingthat includes certainly
(02:03):
nutrition and, yes, I'm sorry,everybody Exercise, yes, I'm
sorry.
And then and then mental health, mental health as well.
Feeding the brain.
My mother always, always talkedabout brain food and you know,
being this voracious, foreverlearner, she also told me about
(02:26):
and I remember the RudyardKipling the F poem that hung on
my wall as a kid If you walkwith, if you walk, walk with and
never lose the common touch, Ifyou can walk with kings but
never lose the common touch, youare a man, my son.
(02:50):
That's the last stanza.
So what are we talking about?
It's self-reflection.
I can still walk with pedigreedkings.
I can still, you know, justwork with extraordinary folks
like yourself, and I mean just,you know, military warriors and
extreme athletes, but never losethe common touch through
self-awareness and grounding,right, Roger Kipling.
(03:13):
But I go back to this holisticnurturing of my soul.
So what do I do?
Read, at least listen to a booka week, 5.30 every morning.
I haven't done cold plunges yet, but I got my guy, you know,
big old dude, and we exerciseevery morning.
You know, weekend I live in thebeach.
(03:34):
Weekend runs, Meditation, yoga.
Man, I'll try everything, butdrugs.
I don't do drugs.
I know there's a lot ofmicrodosing going on out there
and a lot of.
What are they called?
What is that?
Ayahuasca?
There's a lot of that stufflike microdosing, hallucinogens
(03:57):
a lot of that stuff going on.
I mean and I'm talking aboutadvanced people because what
happens?
It gets you back to yoursubconscious in a medically
induced way, or I should say ina chemically induced way.
Well, I do that through my ownbreathing practices and all of
the like.
I mean, I do my best to fuel mybody with the right nutrition.
(04:18):
I get on my knees.
I'm very grateful, I'm verythankful I get back in touch.
Have I always been like this?
No, but over Labor Day I renteda boat and we floated down the
intercoastal with me and my kidsand their husbands and
significant others andfour-legged fur babies, and it
was just beautiful.
Did I ever do that before?
(04:40):
No, because I was out of touch,because I was on the gerbil
wheel.
But I have done my own patterninterrupt and eat my own dog
food so I can practice the verything that I preach.
I can't preach aboutperformance and holistic living
without doing it to make sure itworks and I'm telling y'all it
freaking works.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Works.
You mentioned mind, body, body,soul, right, you know that's
great.
I mean, we talk about numeroustimes.
We talk about exercising,whether it's, you know, dietary
needs, whether it's whateverwe're doing right to, to a
maintain ourselves and allow usto do all these other things and
perform at the level that we're, especially as business owners
or those in leadership, that toperform at that level, um, we
(05:25):
can't as I can't live offdoritos and pizza and all these
other things and and expoexpected to perform at the level
I need to perform right in mybusiness, in my, in my personal
life.
I mean, even though thosethings are great and, trust me,
I love my sweets like I couldlive.
You know, sweets first, thenmeal, but you know like you
gotta resist that and go.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Okay, you know moderation is first then meal,
but you know, like you got toresist that and go.
Okay, you know moderation, agood dessert is better than a
fabulous dinner anytime.
That was my man, what I want todo, though, is share for those,
share for those, that that thatshould only start the journey by
that first step of a thousandmiles, by making your bed.
I used to not be like this.
(06:04):
Um, I was part of agenerational business, and, uh
and uh, you know, when you're onthird base baseball analogy
sometimes you think that you hitthe triple.
Bro, I didn't hit the frickingtriple If it wasn't for my
grandfather.
If it wasn't for now, Iquadruple the size of the
company.
But if it wasn't for mygrandfather back in, it wasn't
(06:25):
for now, I quadrupled the sizeof the company.
But if it wasn't for mygrandfather, back in 1932 in
West Leroy, rhode Island, thatfounded the Panseer Funeral Home
, and then my father and mothercoming down here as
entrepreneurs in SoutheastFlorida and established it here,
you know, would I have been onthird base?
So, you know, I had a less thanmentality, but I was just in a
comfort zone, and I had all theartifacts and bling to prove
(06:47):
that.
Ok, well, I'm serving on thisboard, and these people like me,
and then I'm asking toparticipate in this organization
, and then I'm getting thisaward, whatever, whatever.
And, by the way, I'm just goingto say it straight up.
I also was a professionaldrinker.
I was freaking great at it andI loved it.
I loved it.
I freaking loved it.
Never did drugs, but damn itall.
(07:14):
I just I loved it and I wasgood at it, but then it just
didn't serve me anymore, and I'msort of thinking, you know, I'm
I'm thankful about it, becausethe mornings after you just get
it was difficult to to, totransition.
Um, I remember, though I usedto use this quote by Winston
Churchill pity the man thatnever drinks, or pity the man
that doesn't drink, because henever feels better than he does
when he first wakes up in themorning.
(07:36):
Because think about that youknow, hang up when you got to
hang over.
You just get, but you know youmanage through and I'm not.
This isn't a tale of woe, it'sjust as you get older.
It's you know.
It is just.
It didn't serve me anymore.
Didn't serve me anymore and Ijust.
But I'm so glad I went through.
My own pattern interrupts.
But the only way it happened,mark, is because my forehead was
(07:59):
bleeding.
Do you know why my forehead wasbleeding?
Speaker 2 (08:02):
No, why Mark?
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Good setup, thank you , because I was beating it
against the freaking wall,thinking that I could just do
this same stuff over and overagain and I would still be on
this upward trajectory.
But I said, man, if anything,I'm sliding backwards and I'm
really not tapping into my, andshame on me.
I've got more gifts than what,and that's what happened in that
(08:26):
skitoma moment in the funeralhome and I and now my head
doesn't bleed anymore because Idon't beat it against the wall-
and you stole.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
You stole my question because I was curious what made
that change?
Right, like what you know?
At what point in your life didyou say, hey, it's not serving
me.
And I think a lot of things inlife, I think I myself know I
need to reflect more on and onthings in life and go.
Is it serving me?
Um, whether it's the thing I'mdoing, whether it's maybe it's a
relationship you're in, thefriends you keep, you know,
(08:58):
clients you have, um, all thosethings need to be run through
that same thought process.
Are they serving me?
And I think too, am I servingthem?
Part of what I would say islike it has to be.
It's not all about me.
Am I doing them a disservice bystaying in this relationship or
(09:20):
doing this thing, or it's?
Speaker 1 (09:23):
beautiful.
I love it.
And I look like a bobbleheaddoing this.
I mean, love it, love it, loveit.
You know, is it serving me andyes, you're right or am I so
negatively?
Or how am I serving them?
And it could be very toxic?
But I have a scotoma becauseI'm the Mac Daddy, I'm the
(09:46):
market maker.
Everybody looks at me andoffers advice, everybody wants
me sitting at their.
No, I was on the wrong side ofego.
And you know what?
A shout-out to a dear friend ofmine from Australia, jonathan
Grabner.
He wrote the book the OtherSide of Ego, I believe that's
the title.
But I actually tapped into him.
(10:26):
I did a TED Talk, as mentioned,but he was real with me and it
helped me.
He put the mirror in front ofme in a very coaching forward
way, but with appreciativeinquiry, asking the question and
asking is it serving youanymore?
But how is it serving others?
You know, how are you impactingothers?
And that's where the rubber metthe road.
(10:49):
Okay, am I serving my wifeproperly?
Am I serving my childrenproperly?
Am I, am I serving my teamproperly?
So thank you for that comment,for that mention right on, right
on.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
But it's, you know it , just kind of throwing it out
there and because I feel it'salso important.
Um, so you mentioned ego.
That's, that's a tough one.
Um, I guess from that is is,how do you, once again, the
constant serving me, serving me,serving me, um, it feels like
it's feeding myself, feeding myego.
(11:21):
But how do we keep that ego incheck, in a sense right, and we
don't become self-centered?
Speaker 1 (11:28):
Certainly All about others, all about others-centric
.
That doesn't mean, though andeverybody says there's no I in
team.
I actually disagree, because ifyou don't put the oxygen, what
does the flight attendant saywhen you get on a plane?
Put the oxygen mask on yourselffirst.
Why To help others?
So I needed to be in a plane.
Put the oxygen mask on yourselffirst.
Why To help others?
(11:48):
So I needed to be in a betterstate to actually understand.
I was on the wrong side of ego,that it was all about me, and
it was about me winning and atrisk of others losing, but I'm
the apex predator, so how can Imake sure that I'm serving
others so they're elevated?
And that is what gives me joynow.
(12:09):
That's why I also created asuccession plan for the Pacific
Institute.
Extraordinary new CEO, richardResnick.
I'm now CEO emeritus.
He's building out anextraordinary team, but I knew
very much Goldsmith what got ushere won't get us there.
I mean our founder, lou Tice,did an extraordinary job.
He was an extraordinary founder.
(12:31):
I mean just bizarre successfrom the 60s through generations
, decades, to when he passedaway in 2012.
And me as a part of theinvestor team, or I should say,
successor owners we bought thecompany but there was still so
(12:52):
much legacy that was, we werestill steeped in legacy, okay.
But then COVID hits black swan.
And we were resting on ourlaurels.
We weren't stretching ourselves.
We were resting on Lou andDiane Tice's extraordinary
successes, but COVID hits.
We're a high-touch consultancy.
We don't even know how to spellZoom and we're still using fax
(13:14):
machines.
And we're talking about being atransformational company.
Man, we're still using theabacus.
We're still very analog, ifanything, shoebox.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
So you're on third base in that situation too, with
no idea how to get the homeplate.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Oh my God, and guess what?
And you already got COVID hit.
Guess what.
The partners looked at oneanother and said man, we got to
do something about this,Otherwise we're going to flame
out.
There's going to be a supernovaevent.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Who's going to be the CEO?
Son of a gun.
And it wasn't exactly like that.
It was a bit more treacherousalong the way, but I said I'm in
.
That's a dude who didn't thinkhe was enough, going from
funeral service to this Now,although I'm the freaking CEO,
you've got to be kidding me.
And I want to use another wordthere.
You've got to be you know whatmate right.
But four and a half years wewent from uncertainty,
(14:13):
complexity, forced innovation,black swan, event, fragility to
surviving and thriving.
What got us here?
And that is getting real likethe monkey going from that vine
to that vine we were in midair.
It's like holy, are we going tomake it right?
Vine we were in midair.
(14:36):
It's like holy, are we going tomake it right?
We not only grabbed that nextvine, but we're now going to the
next tree because I helped thecompany, along with my great
partners and a great team, toget through the last four and a
half years.
But I know what got us here meisn't going to get us there, and
that self-awareness on theright side of ego is unfading
the flame of these otherextraordinary leaders, standing
(14:56):
down as CEO emeritus, if youwill, and being this brand
evangelist in a way that I cango back to my caregiving roots.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Wonderful.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
And so I don't now I don't remember what the hell you
asked me early on.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
It's not important anymore.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Okay, well, thank you , but it is about the wrong side
of ego or the right side.
How do you get to the right sideof ego?
It's realizing ego isn't sure.
Are you going to be the king ofthe mountain and watch this
company go out of businessslowly?
Are you going to be the apexpredator, and, and, and and just
rest on your laurels and thinkthat you're really achieving
when growth is stagnant?
(15:32):
You know revenue is the sameand the only reason you're more
profitable is because you cutexpenses, because there was too
much spend before.
Anyway, come on, you got to bereal.
You got to be real.
So and by the way, I don'tbelieve money is the most
important thing, but I thinkit's right up there with oxygen,
because without it you can'tpay the bills, you can't make
(15:56):
payroll.
So don't think that everythingthat I'm talking about is just
esoteric, happy talk.
No, no, you got to get realabout transaction and what I
know would be on the right sideof ego.
It opens up your mind.
I mean, your mind's eye is on a360 and you're more intentional
and you understand the artfulbalance in performance.
You understand bringing out thebest in others and you embrace
(16:18):
leveling up others, which thenmight put you in a different
position out of the limelight,but you are more fulfilled, and
more.
What's the word?
You flourish more than everbefore because of the greatness
that you have coached in, up andout of these others Hi.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
I'm Mark Thomas, founder and CEO of Current Tech
Solutions and CyberGuardians.
We know business owners likeyou want to focus on growing
your company, not worrying aboutIT problems or security threats
.
That's where we come in.
Our team uses AI to protectyour business from cyber risks
and keep everything runningsmoothly.
If you're ready for peace ofmind and a stronger future,
(17:03):
reach out to us today.
Let's secure and elevate yourbusiness together.
But I'm so glad I went through my own pattern
interrupts.
But the only way it happened,Mark, is because my forehead was
bleeding.
Do you know why my forehead wasbleeding?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
No, why Mark?
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Good setup, thank you , because I was beating it
against the freaking wall,thinking that I could just do
this same stuff over and overagain and I would still be on
this upward trajectory.
But I said, man, if anything,I'm sliding backwards.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Help me understand um , you personally, um, how do you
, how do you maintain yourgrowth-oriented mindset um and
balancing everything you knowyou talked about the other
businesses and your, your career, your family and your own
personal you know development.
How do you maintain all that?
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Yeah, again, great question, mark.
I'll say all of the above, butI'll get more specific.
I absolutely believe, and I'mreading a book by Dr Atiyah now.
I'll tell the audience what itis but it's about holistic
wellness, holistic wellbeing.
Just giving more referenceshere, more reference materials.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
No, I love it and we put everything in the episode
notes right Things you referencewhen you reference atomic
habits, whether you reference noRobbins or-.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
No Robbins, right, and then Dr Brene Brown, but
this is Outlive the science andart of longevity.
Peter Atiyah, it's a highlyrecommended well, the guy's an
MD, so he's got the pedigree buthe talks about holistic
(01:42):
wellness and I want sharing.
I want to share with you in theaudience that we already know
all this stuff.
What we do at the PacificInstitute is just sort of
package common sense.
You know it's a user's guide toour mind and so what?
What what Dr Atiyah shares isall medically sound, but it's,
it's this holistic wellbeingthat includes certainly
(02:03):
nutrition and, yes, I'm sorry,everybody Exercise, yes, I'm
sorry.
And then and then mental health, mental health as well.
Feeding the brain.
My mother always, always talkedabout brain food and you know,
being this voracious, foreverlearner, she also told me about
(02:26):
and I remember the RudyardKipling the F poem that hung on
my wall as a kid If you walkwith, if you walk, walk with and
never lose the common touch, Ifyou can walk with kings but
never lose the common touch, youare a man, my son.
(02:50):
That's the last stanza.
So what are we talking about?
It's self-reflection.
I can still walk with pedigreedkings.
I can still, you know, justwork with extraordinary folks
like yourself, and I mean just,you know, military warriors and
extreme athletes, but never losethe common touch through
self-awareness and grounding,right, Roger Kipling.
(03:13):
But I go back to this holisticnurturing of my soul.
So what do I do?
Read, at least listen to a booka week, 5.30 every morning.
I haven't done cold plunges yet, but I got my guy, you know,
big old dude, and we exerciseevery morning.
You know, weekend I live in thebeach.
(03:34):
Weekend runs, Meditation, yoga.
Man, I'll try everything, butdrugs.
I don't do drugs.
I know there's a lot ofmicrodosing going on out there
and a lot of.
What are they called?
What is that?
Ayahuasca?
There's a lot of that stufflike microdosing, hallucinogens
(03:57):
a lot of that stuff going on.
I mean and I'm talking aboutadvanced people because what
happens?
It gets you back to yoursubconscious in a medically
induced way, or I should say ina chemically induced way.
Well, I do that through my ownbreathing practices and all of
the like.
I mean, I do my best to fuel mybody with the right nutrition.
(04:18):
I get on my knees.
I'm very grateful, I'm verythankful I get back in touch.
Have I always been like this?
No, but over Labor Day I renteda boat and we floated down the
intercoastal with me and my kidsand their husbands and
significant others andfour-legged fur babies, and it
was just beautiful.
Did I ever do that before?
(04:40):
No, because I was out of touch,because I was on the gerbil
wheel.
But I have done my own patterninterrupt and eat my own dog
food so I can practice the verything that I preach.
I can't preach aboutperformance and holistic living
without doing it to make sure itworks and I'm telling y'all it
freaking works.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Works.
You mentioned mind, body, body,soul, right, you know that's
great.
I mean, we talk about numeroustimes.
We talk about exercising,whether it's, you know, dietary
needs, whether it's whateverwe're doing right to, to a
maintain ourselves and allow usto do all these other things and
perform at the level that we're, especially as business owners
or those in leadership, that toperform at that level, um, we
(05:25):
can't as I can't live offdoritos and pizza and all these
other things and and expoexpected to perform at the level
I need to perform right in mybusiness, in my, in my personal
life.
I mean, even though thosethings are great and, trust me,
I love my sweets like I couldlive.
You know, sweets first, thenmeal, but you know like you
gotta resist that and go.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Okay, you know moderation is first then meal,
but you know, like you got toresist that and go.
Okay, you know moderation, agood dessert is better than a
fabulous dinner anytime.
That was my man, what I want todo, though, is share for those,
share for those, that that thatshould only start the journey by
that first step of a thousandmiles, by making your bed.
I used to not be like this.
(06:04):
Um, I was part of agenerational business, and, uh
and uh, you know, when you're onthird base baseball analogy
sometimes you think that you hitthe triple.
Bro, I didn't hit the frickingtriple If it wasn't for my
grandfather.
If it wasn't for now, Iquadruple the size of the
company.
But if it wasn't for mygrandfather back in, it wasn't
(06:25):
for now, I quadrupled the sizeof the company.
But if it wasn't for mygrandfather, back in 1932 in
West Leroy, rhode Island, thatfounded the Panseer Funeral Home
, and then my father and mothercoming down here as
entrepreneurs in SoutheastFlorida and established it here,
you know, would I have been onthird base?
So, you know, I had a less thanmentality, but I was just in a
comfort zone, and I had all theartifacts and bling to prove
(06:47):
that.
Ok, well, I'm serving on thisboard, and these people like me,
and then I'm asking toparticipate in this organization
, and then I'm getting thisaward, whatever, whatever.
And, by the way, I'm just goingto say it straight up.
I also was a professionaldrinker.
I was freaking great at it andI loved it.
I loved it.
I freaking loved it.
Never did drugs, but damn itall.
(07:14):
I just I loved it and I wasgood at it, but then it just
didn't serve me anymore, and I'msort of thinking, you know, I'm
I'm thankful about it, becausethe mornings after you just get
it was difficult to to, totransition.
Um, I remember, though I usedto use this quote by Winston
Churchill pity the man thatnever drinks, or pity the man
that doesn't drink, because henever feels better than he does
when he first wakes up in themorning.
(07:36):
Because think about that youknow, hang up when you got to
hang over.
You just get, but you know youmanage through and I'm not.
This isn't a tale of woe, it'sjust as you get older.
It's you know.
It is just.
It didn't serve me anymore.
Didn't serve me anymore and Ijust.
But I'm so glad I went through.
My own pattern interrupts.
But the only way it happened,mark, is because my forehead was
(07:59):
bleeding.
Do you know why my forehead wasbleeding?
Speaker 2 (08:02):
No, why Mark?
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Good setup, thank you , because I was beating it
against the freaking wall,thinking that I could just do
this same stuff over and overagain and I would still be on
this upward trajectory.
But I said, man, if anything,I'm sliding backwards and I'm
really not tapping into my, andshame on me.
I've got more gifts than what,and that's what happened in that
(08:26):
skitoma moment in the funeralhome and I and now my head
doesn't bleed anymore because Idon't beat it against the wall-
and you stole.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
You stole my question because I was curious what made
that change?
Right, like what you know?
At what point in your life didyou say, hey, it's not serving
me.
And I think a lot of things inlife, I think I myself know I
need to reflect more on and onthings in life and go.
Is it serving me?
Um, whether it's the thing I'mdoing, whether it's maybe it's a
relationship you're in, thefriends you keep, you know,
(08:58):
clients you have, um, all thosethings need to be run through
that same thought process.
Are they serving me?
And I think too, am I servingthem?
Part of what I would say islike it has to be.
It's not all about me.
Am I doing them a disservice bystaying in this relationship or
(09:20):
doing this thing, or it's?
Speaker 1 (09:23):
beautiful.
I love it.
And I look like a bobbleheaddoing this.
I mean, love it, love it, loveit.
You know, is it serving me andyes, you're right or am I so
negatively?
Or how am I serving them?
And it could be very toxic?
But I have a scotoma becauseI'm the Mac Daddy, I'm the
(09:46):
market maker.
Everybody looks at me andoffers advice, everybody wants
me sitting at their.
No, I was on the wrong side ofego.
And you know what?
A shout-out to a dear friend ofmine from Australia, jonathan
Grabner.
He wrote the book the OtherSide of Ego, I believe that's
the title.
But I actually tapped into him.
(10:26):
I did a TED Talk, as mentioned,but he was real with me and it
helped me.
He put the mirror in front ofme in a very coaching forward
way, but with appreciativeinquiry, asking the question and
asking is it serving youanymore?
But how is it serving others?
You know, how are you impactingothers?
And that's where the rubber metthe road.
(10:49):
Okay, am I serving my wifeproperly?
Am I serving my childrenproperly?
Am I, am I serving my teamproperly?
So thank you for that comment,for that mention right on, right
on.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
But it's, you know it , just kind of throwing it out
there and because I feel it'salso important.
Um, so you mentioned ego.
That's, that's a tough one.
Um, I guess from that is is,how do you, once again, the
constant serving me, serving me,serving me, um, it feels like
it's feeding myself, feeding myego.
(11:21):
But how do we keep that ego incheck, in a sense right, and we
don't become self-centered?
Speaker 1 (11:28):
Certainly All about others, all about others-centric
.
That doesn't mean, though andeverybody says there's no I in
team.
I actually disagree, because ifyou don't put the oxygen, what
does the flight attendant saywhen you get on a plane?
Put the oxygen mask on yourselffirst.
Why To help others?
So I needed to be in a plane.
Put the oxygen mask on yourselffirst.
Why To help others?
(11:48):
So I needed to be in a betterstate to actually understand.
I was on the wrong side of ego,that it was all about me, and
it was about me winning and atrisk of others losing, but I'm
the apex predator, so how can Imake sure that I'm serving
others so they're elevated?
And that is what gives me joynow.
(12:09):
That's why I also created asuccession plan for the Pacific
Institute.
Extraordinary new CEO, richardResnick.
I'm now CEO emeritus.
He's building out anextraordinary team, but I knew
very much Goldsmith what got ushere won't get us there.
I mean our founder, lou Tice,did an extraordinary job.
He was an extraordinary founder.
(12:31):
I mean just bizarre successfrom the 60s through generations
, decades, to when he passedaway in 2012.
And me as a part of theinvestor team, or I should say,
successor owners we bought thecompany but there was still so
(12:52):
much legacy that was, we werestill steeped in legacy, okay.
But then COVID hits black swan.
And we were resting on ourlaurels.
We weren't stretching ourselves.
We were resting on Lou andDiane Tice's extraordinary
successes, but COVID hits.
We're a high-touch consultancy.
We don't even know how to spellZoom and we're still using fax
(13:14):
machines.
And we're talking about being atransformational company.
Man, we're still using theabacus.
We're still very analog, ifanything, shoebox.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
So you're on third base in that situation too, with
no idea how to get the homeplate.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Oh my God, and guess what?
And you already got COVID hit.
Guess what.
The partners looked at oneanother and said man, we got to
do something about this,Otherwise we're going to flame
out.
There's going to be a supernovaevent.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Who's going to be the CEO?
Son of a gun.
And it wasn't exactly like that.
It was a bit more treacherousalong the way, but I said I'm in
.
That's a dude who didn't thinkhe was enough, going from
funeral service to this Now,although I'm the freaking CEO,
you've got to be kidding me.
And I want to use another wordthere.
You've got to be you know whatmate right.
But four and a half years wewent from uncertainty,
(14:13):
complexity, forced innovation,black swan, event, fragility to
surviving and thriving.
What got us here?
And that is getting real likethe monkey going from that vine
to that vine we were in midair.
It's like holy, are we going tomake it right?
Vine we were in midair.
(14:36):
It's like holy, are we going tomake it right?
We not only grabbed that nextvine, but we're now going to the
next tree because I helped thecompany, along with my great
partners and a great team, toget through the last four and a
half years.
But I know what got us here meisn't going to get us there, and
that self-awareness on theright side of ego is unfading
the flame of these otherextraordinary leaders, standing
(14:56):
down as CEO emeritus, if youwill, and being this brand
evangelist in a way that I cango back to my caregiving roots.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Wonderful.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
And so I don't now I don't remember what the hell you
asked me early on.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
It's not important anymore.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Okay, well, thank you , but it is about the wrong side
of ego or the right side.
How do you get to the right sideof ego?
It's realizing ego isn't sure.
Are you going to be the king ofthe mountain and watch this
company go out of businessslowly?
Are you going to be the apexpredator, and, and, and and just
rest on your laurels and thinkthat you're really achieving
when growth is stagnant?
(15:32):
You know revenue is the sameand the only reason you're more
profitable is because you cutexpenses, because there was too
much spend before.
Anyway, come on, you got to bereal.
You got to be real.
So and by the way, I don'tbelieve money is the most
important thing, but I thinkit's right up there with oxygen,
because without it you can'tpay the bills, you can't make
(15:56):
payroll.
So don't think that everythingthat I'm talking about is just
esoteric, happy talk.
No, no, you got to get realabout transaction and what I
know would be on the right sideof ego.
It opens up your mind.
I mean, your mind's eye is on a360 and you're more intentional
and you understand the artfulbalance in performance.
You understand bringing out thebest in others and you embrace
(16:18):
leveling up others, which thenmight put you in a different
position out of the limelight,but you are more fulfilled, and
more.
What's the word?
You flourish more than everbefore because of the greatness
that you have coached in, up andout of these others Hi.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
I'm Mark Thomas, founder and CEO of Current Tech
Solutions and CyberGuardians.
We know business owners likeyou want to focus on growing
your company, not worrying aboutIT problems or security threats
.
That's where we come in.
Our team uses AI to protectyour business from cyber risks
and keep everything runningsmoothly.
If you're ready for peace ofmind and a stronger future,
(17:03):
reach out to us today.
Let's secure and elevate yourbusiness together.
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