How to Rise like a Phoenix with Professor Rao

He grew up in a toxic family, was diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia, had Covid, a brain hemorrhage, and was in bed for 5 months … but rose like a Phoenix, fueled with fire in his heart with immense passion to share motivation and courage, through his books and teachings, get to know my guest today - Professor M.S. Rao.
Professor M.S. Rao founder of MSR Leadership Consultants, India, the father of Soft Leadership, and author of over 50 books which includes the award winning “See the Light in You.” His vision is to build one million students as global leaders by 2030.
Committed and dedicated to his vision, also believes that a society is a collection of individuals; when all individuals think collectively to contribute to others, they can make a difference.
Learn about Professor M.S. Rao through his blog at http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.com/

This podcast is powered by DenTen Insurance - Insurance for the Greater Good. www.denten.io To listen to more and be inspired, visit www.michaelespositoinc.com

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
This show is sponsored by dn tenInsurance Services, helping businesses get the right
insurance for all their insurance needs.Visit dn ten dot io to get a
quote d N T e N dotio and remember, when you buy an
insurance policy from Denten, you're givingback on a global scale. Hello all,

(00:21):
my entrepreneurs and business leaders, andwelcome to the Michael Esposito Show,
where I interview titans of industry inorder to inform, educate and inspire you
to be great. My guest todayis an international leadership guru with forty years
of experience and the author of fiftybooks that's five zero books, including the

(00:46):
award winning See the Light In You. He brings a strategic eye and long
range vision given his multifaced professional experienceincluding military, teaching, training, research,
consultancy and philosophy, and he createda blueprint consisting of five levels of

(01:10):
leadership to build global leaders He's committedand dedicated to the execution and transformation of
students as global leaders with a globalmindset to make a difference in the world.
Please welcome joining us from India.The father of soft Leadership and the

(01:33):
founder of MSR Leadership Consultants, India, Professor Raw welcome, Professor, than
it is such a pleasure and anhonor to have someone like yourself on my
show. I can't tell you howamazing it is to have you on the

(01:56):
show. And I want to toshare this with you, and that I've
been very excit I did about thisinterview. I'm equally excited to be atrio
and let me share with you mychallenger. To begin with, I was
blessed to be alive after the brainstroke in the twenty one UH and I

(02:19):
survived because of my postive psychology,because the power of subconscious mind, and
because of the healthy habits that Iequate from Indian Air Force. I was
born in a toxic family and agroup with your toxic environment. I'm dyslexic
with the ADHD, and I havemental challenges, physical challenges, and financial

(02:40):
challenges despite being growing up in atoxic environment, despite not blessed with a
regular education, despite having a brainstroke, despite having several challenges, I
boasted back precisionally. I also canfinix up the bristol. I love that

(03:05):
rose like a phoenix after a brainstroke. And just to kind of reiterate
with our audience, what you saidthere just in case and to paraphrase a
little bit, and I'll be doingthat for everyone listening. Uh. Doctor
Row and I met via zoom awhile back and we had a conversation about
making sure that you are able tohear, listen, and understand everything he's

(03:25):
saying. And so what we'll bedoing is I'll paraphrase some of the things
he says, and sometimes he mightrepeat something or say a little bit slower
so that you all can can payattention. Because one of the reasons why
I'm so excited for you to learnfrom doctor Raw and for me to have
the opportunity to interview him, ishe's written over fifty books on leadership.

(03:46):
He's had the forward his forwards fromthe Vice President of India and from the
Dalai Lama himself. So he's justan amazing person. And then on the
other side of this, we arewe as as as an as a as
a society. We get to immerseourselves in another culture. And and now

(04:09):
the Michaels Mosio shows an international showspanning from the Hudson Valley all over the
country all the way now to India, and so this is very exciting and
so I just want to touch onwhat you just said there, doctor Rao,
in that you have overcome so manychallenges in your life from you said,
a toxic family, learning disabilities suchas ADHD and dyslexia, and then

(04:34):
overcoming a brain stroke. I'd liketo just take a step back and go
to your family life and go tothis toxic family that you speak of,
what that was like, what growingup in India was like, and in
your family, let me share withyou right from the childhood, Abraham Lincoln

(04:58):
has been my inspiration. Wow,and that the first thing I would like
to pull DeCross. And because everLincoln and counted so many failures, challenges
and finally became the President of America. Right from my childhood. Ever in
Lincoln as my inspiration. And Iwas born in a toxic family and group

(05:23):
into a toxic environment. And Iwas not blessing with a regular education.
I was a college drop out,and I was born in a poor family.
And I I started I English isnot my native language, so I

(05:44):
used to write in my resional language. That was terrible language. But I
was not able to do well becauseof the dysalaxia and the adi HD.
So lots of challenges, and Ihad a passion to solve my country.

(06:05):
So at there's a fifteen I hada dream to become an officer in Indian
Air Force. And I was verylim built and I had hastama hastama and
I was very short in height,so lots of challenges were there. So

(06:28):
I used to go to jim inthose days so that I can build a
little bit of body to join IndianAir Force. So eighteen so I joined
the India. Doctor Rao, Ijust want to go back. So you
were you were fifteen years old,skinny little guy. You were sure in
hightum you had asthma, You hadasthma, but yeah, you had an

(06:50):
aspiration to join the military, specificallythe Air force in India. Yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah. Thankyou. Thank you for paraphrasing, and
thank you for helping me because Ihave I have come out of a brainstroke
recently, and I am grateful toyou that you are helping me. You're

(07:13):
helping me to utilize man your accent, and also you're also paraphrasing whatever I
am saying. So I'm happy withyou and I empathize with you. Okay,
now coming to the point, soand there's a fifteen I had a
dream to join Indian Air Force.Then I developed a little bit of body

(07:40):
and I was shot in height andI had hastam answer. So by eighteen
I joined Indian Reforce. And Iwas lucky that I came out of my
toxic paroits and the toxic anomament becauseI was in a negative and minami where
I was born. After I joinedthe Indian Reforce, we can as Indian

(08:00):
military. Whatever it is, youcan you call it, but it is
Indian Air Force, okay. AndI started developing a post to attitude and
I did now communicate. I didn'thave any liticat. I didn't have a
proper grooming and I was lucky thatI joined in the inforce and I started

(08:22):
growing as a leader and we wehad to get up at the morning four
o'clock for running in the Indian AirForce. It was very challenging and very
tough life. Under nine ten o'clockwe would to sweep that. That was
the routine in the Indian I Force. But after ten two eleven o'clock one

(08:46):
hour. I used to read inthe night in a street lamp because I
was passionate about completing my congratation becauseI was a college strap. So waking
up at morning for o clock,usually sleeping at ten, I used to

(09:07):
sleep at level one hour extra.I used to sleep in the street street
lamp in those days. I wasinvesting one more hour to continue my passionable
education. So then after I joinedthe Enforce, I acquired a couple of
qualifications. The qualifications include d DEMIbas M A MBA pg d CL PGDBM

(09:33):
and and my peach is subscus totlevel. So all these educational qualifications I
acquired through private education, not througha regular education. People think I acquired
qualifications from reported universities like Harvard,Arksford, our Calloggs or something of that.

(09:56):
But the fact is that I wasI lent off my wound by going
to far distinct places. I usedto visit libraries. Uh. After I
joined the Indian Force, and Iused to invest my time for educational learning

(10:18):
apart from doing my regular duty.They did so, so I worked very
very hard and uh and I servedfor probably years. Ina then I joined
in the business. Well wait,I just want to I just want to
go back to this this air forceexperience, because so you served in the

(10:39):
air force in the Indian Air Forcefor twelve years, and during that time
traveled and self educated yourself by goingto libraries and reading UM. And you
mentioned that you received all of thesedifferent certifications all the way to the PhD
level, all through self study andnot through the traditional um colleges or universities

(11:01):
that everybody is accustomed to. I'minterested in, how are you able to
get these designations or of PhD andall of the rest that you had named
there? How are you able toacquire these designations? Then I acquired uh,
I didn't get a pH d atthat time. Subsequently I joined for
PhD. Okay, I equited DEMIbecause I was in the Aeronautical engineering because

(11:26):
I was in Air Force, Sothat is deem me BAC degree and completed
because at night I was studying whenI was in Air Force. Then I
acquired my EMU, then MBA,PDICI all through private education. Subsequently,

(11:48):
I and my pH d they beata gap of around torol or thirteen years.
I joined for PhD and and mypH d there twenty level. So
that is the story of my academybackground. Right then, what happened after
serving for twenty years in the inthe Air Force and my my father lad

(12:11):
told me to join for the business, but he backed and background and backstaffed.
H Then, uh, I hadsomeone some challenges from that side.
I did business but it didn't goon well. So you had had some
businesses but they didn't go well.Yeah, it didn't go well. I

(12:33):
think maybe thirteen years or so Idid a business. So I was a
soldier. Then I was an entrepreneur. Then I become an educator because I
joined teaching. Okay, uh.Then after teaching, then I became an
author. So that's how my jennyhas come. So let's slowly go to

(13:01):
the second level. So after afteruh uh done a business for close to
thirteen years, then I joined teaching. Then I then I took admission for
PhD. What was what was thewhen you were when you decided to switch

(13:24):
from business into teaching. What wasthe reason for switching. I know that
you mentioned that you had some somebusinesses fail and it was failures along the
way, But what was the desireto teach? Yeah? It was it
was a good It was a learningfor me. I tried to do business,
which it did go on well,and I didn't get support from father

(13:46):
la and he back and he backaround at the back step. So so
many challenges. So you were youfelt you felt betrayed from from your father
in law didn't work out. Iwas betrayed. Yeah, that's the correct
word. I was betrayed by myown father inland and some relatives. So
then I joined into teaching because teachingis the one I love it right from

(14:11):
my childhood. Right from my childhood. I'm a self learner. So then
I joined teaching and then became afaculty member in the year I think two
seven. I joined it as anacculty member, then took admission for PhD
and I did research in a PhDfor four three to four years. Then

(14:35):
I got my PhD in the yeartwo thousand eleven. So then I became
an educator and I started sharing myknowledge really with the students on various social
media platforms, apart from working insome privaty colleges. But that's how I

(14:56):
led my life. Then I becameanother Well, so you started you started,
I'm sorry, doctor, So youstarted teaching at private colleges and uh
is that accurate? Okay, Yeah, so you started teaching at private colleges
and then in universities, I'm sure. And then became an author. Yeah
you said correct, Yeah, thankyou for paraprising and thank you for empathizing

(15:20):
with me. Then I needed money. I didn't have money because business was
not good. Then I switched outto academies because teaching is the one,
not exactly teaching, this learning isthe one that has helped me when I
failed in the business. So thenI became a faculty member, then joined

(15:41):
for PhD. Then I got mypH d near Tote eleven. Then I
became another the year two D ten. So then I started writing books in
various areas like teaching, training,executive education, youth leadership. Uh.
Then I wrote books on soft skills, then a soft leadership then uh no,

(16:07):
and I wrote books on various areasbecause I'm a I'm an I'm basically
an experimental other. I keep experimentingdifferent areas. Uh. Then I also
wrote a book on gender and diversity. So, like, there's so many
books we have written. For example, I assure you a book about the

(16:30):
gender and this is a book ongender and a a city. You can
see this book. Yeah, soit's strategies. It's called strategies to build
women leaders globally, I think managers. It talks a lot about thinking and
I also know um and this willbe in the show notes as well,

(16:51):
that all of your books are availableon Amazon and you have all the links
on the website. Thank you forsharing that. Okay, and this book
I have dedicated to Rosia Pox,My Angelo and Oprah Winfrey because I took
it gender equality globally. Wow.And I received forward from the former Vice

(17:11):
Pstent of India. Mister, Sothe Vice President of India wrote the forward
for this How did you get accessto the Vice President of India? See?
Because I'm persistent. I'm persisted bynature. So even my first book

(17:32):
was rejected un hundred, more thanhundred times, so I persisted. Persistence
is the quality I'm having right frommy childhood to till date. So I'm
very persistent by nature. So Ipersisted. I kept trying that Finally he
has agreed, The Vice of formerVice Pistal India is agreed and he is

(17:52):
a real forward. That's how theJennie has come. That's incredible. You
just said that your first book wasrejected over one hundred times before you got
it published. Yeah, yeah,correct, correct? And what was the
What was the feeling like for youwhen it was finally published? Oh,
I might I was on the sky. I was on the top of the

(18:14):
world because I never thought that Iwould publish a book. After more than
a hundred resections, my book wasthe manuscript was accepted, and the book
was published. I think it wasin the year to ten. I think
my first book was published. Andthen one success led to another success.

(18:40):
So I got momentum. Yeah,you said, momentum is the character board.
Yeah, thank you, thank you. I gained the momentum then I
started doing it. Since I'm ahard worker because usually I wake up morning
four o'clock. Night ten o'clock Isleep. I don't take any rest morning
to night. I work hard.And you're even working later tonight because it's

(19:03):
what is it twelve o'clock there,twelve thirty right now at night or in
the morning it's one o'clock. It'sone o'clock. Usually ten o'clock I sleep,
But since because because we have aninterview, Yeah, so it's one
o'clock in the morning there for you. That's incredible. Yeah, it's yeah,
one, one, one one.I think I can see from so

(19:23):
two and three hours back one moreinterview I had. So. So the
thing is when usually I'm very stricttime zones, but this is something very
unique way because your time zones aredifferent. Might might time zones are different.
So we have synchronized, we haveadjusted. He situated that we can

(19:45):
make this intview successful. One Okay, so like this. You know,
I have written so many books,and I'm very persistent by nature. You
are very persistent. I number twoin LinkedIn together. Yeah. Yeah,
I'm passionate about educational learning. I'mpatient. I'm going to wait for the

(20:10):
results. That's right. Then I'mpersistent in nature. I will never give
up. That's right. So theseare all the qualities from my life.
And this is the book I've written, Vision twenty thirty one million Global Leaders.
You have a book, Vision twentythirty one million Global Leaders. Yeah,
that's that was the book I wantedto kind of learn a little bit
more about because you're talking about globalleaders and the youth of today. Yeah,

(20:36):
so let me share this book.Also, this book received forward from
uh doctor Current Batty, the firstwoman I subsept from India, and they
have dedicated this book to former Presidentof India because I wow. Yeah,

(20:56):
even the farmer, the presenter forIndia that co well, I thought that
he would write forward for my book, but unfortunately he died due to cardiac
arrest. Other I would have gotforward for the book also. And this

(21:21):
book is about my vision to buildone million students as global leads by twenty
thirty. Tell us about that vision. Tell us about this vision to build
the global leaders. This vision Ihave crafted because I wanted to broom students

(21:42):
as one millions to students. Ithink way back, I think seventies eight
years back. I had a visionbecause I'm passionate about education and learning,
because I keep sharing my knowledge reallywith the world, So I thought,
why not to start to my visiontwenty thirty one million global leader? Is
uh? Then? Yeah, Soyou had this vision to start global leaders

(22:08):
in twenty twenty one, and thenyou were saying two thousand seventies back,
I had crafted a vision twenty thirtyone million global leaders, and I started
sharing my knowledge. I have trainedmore than fifty thousand students as global leaders.

(22:29):
But after the cod after the Brinstockpicks, have changed scenario globally,
so I started sharing my knowledge onlinebecause physically I can't groom one million stuients
by twenty thirty. Yeah, becauseof the healthy factors and with the changing
post in the post cod scenario,thinks are changed dramatically when you when you're

(22:56):
teaching these students. Is it inEnglish or is it in your native lineage?
No? In English langue? Okay, in English language? Yeah,
and English is not English is notmy native language, right basically. And
I started with my Telugul luguelist andI started with my regional language in India.

(23:17):
But after I judged India first,I started speaking English. Wow,
because I didn't know English. Evenwhen I was eighteen years old, I
was not good at English. Iwas not able to communicate as but it
took some years for me to learnEnglish that gradually. Even today. Also,
my English is okay, but notthat excellent. Like Americans, you

(23:41):
know, they speak very fluent English. Well, we don't have to go
to India and speak Indian. SoI always think, you know, my
mother is also an immigrant. She'sfrom Haiti and her native language is French
and Crayole, and so she speakswith an accent, speaks English with an
accent. And you know, butthe thing is is that you know if

(24:04):
you were as an American, ifyou're to go to Haiti and to speak
Rayol, you would speak with anAmerican accent. So you know, I
always respect others who learn multiple languages. And you know, it's up to
us to be patient and to listenand to listen well. And I think
that when when speaking with someone likeyourself and for our listeners here, when
you're listening to this podcast, it'salso working our listening side of our brain.

(24:30):
It's it's helping us become better listenersand active listeners because we have to
pay very close attention to the wordsthat you're saying in order for us to
understand what you're saying. And that'sa very good thing to practice. It's
something that in conversations many of usdon't do, and it's called active listening.
So it's very important. And doctorRout your your experiences are tremendous and

(24:52):
I'm so happy that you're sharing this. So I want to get you back
on your path of what you werejust sharing here about what you're doing and
how you're inspiring over fifty thousand globalleaders. Go ahead, Okay, So
I started sharing my knowledge and hopefullymy health will permit me to build one

(25:15):
year studs Global Leatis by twenty thirty. So that is the vision. I
have said it, and I'm goingin the direction. So I'm sharing my
knowledge really with the world. Istill belong to a lower wieldless family,
and I don't have two wheelers.I don't have four wheeler. I still

(25:36):
belong to a lower class family.So lots of challenges are there. My
life is full of challenges. Iwas born in a toxic family. I
was not blessing with a regular education, and I business didn't work out at
betrayals by others ADHD attention difficit hyperactivitydesigner, then again dislikes, then again

(26:00):
this brain So tell us about thebrainstroke, because this happened because of COVID.
You said, right, the brainstroke. Yeah, it happened during
the brainstone. My wife and Ihad this, uh COVID twenty twenty one
during the second lockdown. Okay,second lockdown, You got COVID with your
wife. Yeah? Good, Somy wife became normal and I thought that

(26:26):
I would also be all right.But suddenly what happened, you know,
um darts to the subsequent tool becauseof the high blood pressure at the time
due to long COVID and brain fog. And there there was a sudden reasons
because of the suddenly collapse at myright post from the body was totally paralyzed

(26:49):
and I was in ice you intensivecare in and I I my short time
memory was disturbed for for for afew days. My long term memory is
very intact, but only I hadsome disturbance with my short term short term

(27:10):
memory. My right post of thebody was totally paralysed. But because of
the power of for the posture psychologyand the power of subconscious mind, because
I have that power within me.So even the mood I collapsed after the
Brents, internally I was saying in, I was saying that I was I'm

(27:33):
all right, I'm all right likethat, and I was telling so that
that that gave me some momentum tomy mind and gradually I started raising.
So after a few days I wokeup from my see then gradually and I
did subficure therapy excesses in India formore than a year. Then I started

(27:57):
walking. Uh so you couldn't walk, You couldn't walk, You're the whole
right side. Acually I could notknow. Initially I could not, but
subsequently I started walking right. Butwhy I survived you know, very simple,
the power of subconscious might, fastto psychology and healthy habits that I

(28:21):
equate from Indians, Indian midditary.So all these things helped me to bounce
back and to be resilient. Otherwise, many people in the doctor start that,
you know, I won't survive him, But I survive him because of
these healthy habits. Because I havea daily routine. Morning four o'clock,

(28:41):
I get up night ten o'clock.I said, this is my routine,
so my mind is well framed.I do everything in a systematic manner.
But unfortunately this is COVID has ruinedmy health and prospects. But I can
bounce back, but still right handis paralyzed. I can't to type with
my right hand and my right soulderis dumb. There is no sense to

(29:04):
my right hand, so I'm typingwith my left hand. And since I'm
not able to write my books.Also maybe for one one, one to
two years, I can't write mybooks because I can't type with my right
hand. So what I started doing, you know, I was listening to
YouTube channels and also I was requestingpeople like you to interview me because I

(29:27):
wanted to place my time by sharingmy knowledge in your world. So that's
how I placed in my time.I connoted threats into opportunities. Yes,
you did, and you've You've createda tremendous amount of opportunities on your linked
I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Goahead. I connoted brick bats into bookcase.

(29:52):
I cannot take my threats into opportunities. So I have a very optivistic
nature. So because of this,all these things then on also my attitude
to gratitude. So how these thingshelped me to come up to this space

(30:12):
very Yeah. I like how youlook at everything and it's this optimistic attitude,
and you have these catchphrases which arevery helpful to think that way.
I'm interested in the thought of softskills. Many of us we hear this
term soft skills, and you you'redeemed the father of soft skills, and

(30:34):
you've written many books on it aswell, and so I'm very interested in
what do soft skills mean to you? Okay, So first of all,
I let ship, let me goon to the well. You're very systematic.
I appreciate the way you're asking forsince stuff by stuff we are going
first to my health issues, thenagain education, then again diversity. Now

(30:57):
we are entering into peace and thesoft ladership. Okay, so we'll discuss
about soft skills and soft ladership.In the year two to seven, I
left business and entered into teaching.I became a faculty member. Then I
joined for PhD. In the yeartwo to seven and two to eleven,

(31:21):
I got my peachier in soft skills. And at the time many people in
the world they did not much aboutsoft skills. Then it was a new
area. I thought, let metry something unique and different because I'm basically
an experimental honor. So then whatI did was I started doing research about

(31:51):
soft skills and and my PHB softskills, that's one thing. And I
published both than ten books on asoft and soft leadership. And many people
have some doubts about there are somany myths about soft skills. So then
I published a research paper on addAmerican Society of Training and Development. They

(32:19):
have medit as a TD severly reportedGeneral and subsequent other Emmeral journals and UH
and other various other journals have publishedmy research papers. So there are so
many myths about soft skills. Peoplesay subtskills are about emotional integious. Subt

(32:39):
skills are are about gender. Softskills are about English speaking skills like that.
You know different, Uh, thereare so many about so people think
that. So people think that softskills are about emotions or gender or other
things. So what are soft skillsabout that? Now? But now then

(33:01):
I then I have given the clificdefinition of soft skills. Soft skills are
all about the skills and abilities relatedto your personality, attitude, and behavior.
That's the definition of suft skills,the skills associated with your personality,

(33:22):
attitude and behavior. Behavior. Thisis the actual definition of soft skills.
So people talk in different way usuallyand most intelligence they say, again it's
people's skills. Then again there's agender, it's about English skills like that.
There are so many ways people,there are so many myths. So
I deep deep debunk all the thingsand wrote a research research paper more than

(33:49):
a decade and it was published.It's a very so are you opening for
many people globally. They subsequently Ipublished books on soft skills. So this
is how by gen dy with thesarft skills. Okay, now let me
tell you with the clarity about sarftskins. I told you that the sarft
skills are all your personality edited behavior. So soft skins are all about how

(34:15):
politely pleasingly you communicate with others,how pleasingly politely you communicate with others.
That is soft skills. And thesart skills are different from heart skills.
Heart skills are technical skills. Startskills are non non dominal skills, right,

(34:37):
So so singal skills are different,and sart skills are different. But
we need to blend both soft skillsand are heart skills to grow as leaders.
Right, So just to go backhere for for a second. Here
just to kind of summarize when welook when you when you're looking at soft

(34:58):
skills, they they really go intocommunication and how we communicate with others,
how we um are are perceived byothers, and and the kindness that we
share. And then the hard skillsare really the technical stuff is the stuff
that you either learn in school orby trade. Um, It's it's the
black and white kind of stuff.And what you're talking about in terms of

(35:20):
leadership is that it's about finding thebalance between the two. It's finding how
we can blend the two to whereyou are able to bring it all together,
right, excellent, excellent, thankyou for paraphrasing. So these soft
skills are all abort people skills.They are different proof hard skills. Okay.

(35:40):
And the people are hired because oftechnical skills, they're hired two to
lack of soft skills, like peopleare. People are hide because of people
are hired for their job for technicalskills. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, you can say people arehired because of attitude. Yeah.

(36:01):
Good again, you are connecting withthe thoughts excellently, excellently, You're you're
yeah good, I'm very happy withyou here. Some some triggers are coming
to my mind because of you.You're asking you right, thought provoking possess
So so this again about how politicallyplease pleasingly communicate with others. And high

(36:30):
skills are all about technical skills.And people are hired because of their technical
skills, but fired you too,lack of sart skills. Oh wow,
They're hired for their technical but firedfor their soft. Yeah excellent, excellent,
excellent. You you well you putit well. I'm learning. I'm

(36:51):
learning from you, man. Okay, good, good, good you you
you hit the bulls eye from youknow, bulls eye, bulls target target.
I'm from military background, so youhit the bulls eye. People are
hired because of technical skills but fireddue to lack of subsciss. Wow.

(37:13):
Wow, And let me add onemore thing. Um ah, what you
say is hard skill, and howyou say is subsilla. That is how
politely plasically you talk is subsciss.And what what is what? What?

(37:34):
That is technical skill? But howyou say, how politely you talk,
that is subsciss. That miss againpersonality, attitude and behavior or again ingrade
there, ingrad along with subskiss.Right right, So now let us move
on to the next thing. Sowe need to black both subskills and heart

(37:58):
skills to become successful. And whenyou there are three levels of management,
top level management, middle level management, and low level management. So when
you enter any any employment, theyemphasize mora. Now, um technical skills.
Let me at the lower level theytalk about higher higher personages about technical

(38:22):
skills. But when they go tothe middle level, it's fifty fifteen fifty
percent technical technical skills fifty percent subscrills. If you go to serial apportions like
C suit level are shoes, thenyou're emphasize more people skills subscrists because they
don't do any technical job c Csuit level leaders. They don't do this,

(38:50):
they don't do technical things, technicalthings. Yeah. So just to
kind of give an analogy to this, I'm thinking of the barber shop you
have you have, right, Yeah, Well, you know in the Emith
revisited Michael Gerber's book on business,it's you know, you have the barber
and uh and this this person hasa technical skill. They have the hard
skill of knowing how to cut thehair and how to run the blades,

(39:15):
and they can put you in theirchair, they can make you feel very
comfortable and put the cape on youand cut your hair and do you do
a nice haircut. But but asthe as the business grows, and that
that barber gets two more chairs andthree more chairs, and then eventually another
location, and then multiple locations,and now this barber actually owns a franchise

(39:37):
and has ten locations across the country. Well, he has to transfer those
hard skills, those technical skills ofbeing able to be a barber into soft
skills to manage all of the barbersin all of the shops and be able
to go visit all of the barbershops and speak to the barbers and help
them get more clients, help marketthe business. And there are using the

(40:00):
soft skills to build the brand andbuild the business. It's really beautiful what
you described there. Thank you,no thanks for the analogy. Even you've
given me one more trigger. Sowhat I have to do. I may
have to write a case study onBarbara how the soft skills can be placed
by taking it as a case study. And that's what trigger has come to

(40:27):
my mind, Like you know,Barbara having one. Then again, multiple
things getting done than having franchises ina country, are across the world.
So it goes on like that.So your trigger is a very relevant app
The analogy is the main thing.I think. I'm getting an idea to
write a case study on this thing. But now I can't act because of

(40:51):
my right hand. So hopefully allthese things, you know, I'll joggle
my left hand. I will recordthem and have somebody else write it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'llkeep the link with me. The letland
you know when when after one yeartwo is then I'll write a cased it.
I'll write a case study and I'llget it published in Hardward Business Room.

(41:15):
Listen. If if you're going todo a case study on this,
then let's do it on my insurancecompany. Then no, no, it's
a wonderful thing to see. Seeusually people what they think. You know,
you ask cousin, I us onethat's not correct. Yeah you should
be Oh yeah, yeah, wellthat's doctor Rob. That's that's how I

(41:37):
started my company. Yeah, that'show I started my company was through learning
the technical skills of sales um andthen learning the technical skills of insurance and
getting my insurance license and working forothers. I worked at a small insurance
company in town, and then abigger one, and then a bigger one,
and so I learned all of thetechnical skills like you're speaking about through

(42:00):
working for these insurance companies, whileat the same time, I was developing
my soft skills by joining organizations likeToastmasters and learning from Tony Robbins and listening
to different self development things. SoI started combining the two and then that's
when I was able to seize theopportunity of creating Dan Tent, which is

(42:21):
my insurance company. And now Iutilize more like you said, the soft
skills of working with my team,of working with others in order for expansion
and in order for training. Andthat's really what happens is that when I'm
working with my sales team, isthat we're really talking about my experiences.
I'm sharing those with them and thenhow they can apply it in what they're
doing rather than showing them the technicalway of doing things that's for them.

(42:45):
And then whenever it gets too technical, I actually refer to them to go
to the insurance carrier to learn thetechnical piece, because for me, I'm
more of the soft skill piece.Excellent, excellent, Well, se you
referred. I worked for Tony.You know, it's a very powerful It's
an inspirational speaker and also author,and he has got a lot of fans

(43:07):
globally on YouTube and everywhere. Isometimes I also listen to his uh well,
I listen to is A videos alsoYeah, Tony or Tony Robbins.
And he coached even SeaBOS and powerfulpeople. Good. It's nice that uh

(43:29):
we are having same wave length,so that we are on the same path.
And let me share one more thing. Having any is always good,
right because you give me something andI give you something. It's too you
give me and I give you.So it's like that. It's too a

(43:49):
okay, that's how it is.Usually what people do poor interviews or podcast
holes. What they do they askpos response, you goin, I give
who answer. That's not correct.What is correct is it should be conversational
and accord of the situation we areabout h And then again I have to

(44:09):
add value to you and also youyou must add value too. It should
be in that way, and weboth must add value to the business.
That's the most that's the most importantthing. Yeah, yeah, and you
know you know that that relates toleadership as well. Um, in terms
of leadership, and you wrote wroteso many books on leadership, and um,
I'd like to continue the conversation aboutyour experience there. But as as

(44:34):
leaders, which you are I am, and many of all of our listeners
your leaders. And the thing witha leader is that it's exactly what you
just describe there, doctor Rao,in that it's about sharing ideas, listening
to each other, and creating valuefor each other. As a leader,
we are responsibility is to create valuefor those who are on our t who

(45:00):
are in our family and our home, who are who are listening to us.
It's about creating value for them,and in turn, they are creating
value for us. Because you know, every person is both our student and
our teacher. I was taught thisrecently. Every person is both our student
and our teacher, no matter whothey are. Yeah. See, I

(45:22):
tell to my students that you knowa good teacher less from students. Also,
that's right because I share who fromone way. But if sisty students
are there when sixty people are talkingso we get something new, then again
we add add value to those students. It's a two way profit. So

(45:43):
I teach to students and also Iget some ideas from more students, and
I dolop some triggers and I doresearch. Then again I dolop right my
teaching exclusive. That's how like theseand know I have I have to ask
you because I started to interact.I have a d h D. So

(46:05):
let me share with you because goahead to see I Because whenever I when
I'm whenever I am being interviewed withothers, what I do. I watch
the videos of the people. I'veseen your videos. Really, they're truly
amazing. I've seen a couple ofvideos. Really they're very inspiring. It

(46:30):
shows your passion. Uh, andcommitment to add value to others. I've
seen your videos. Three qualities fora leader, I think some last time
also I listened and I think someof the three hours back also I listened
three qualities of a leader. Sosome some group of consosation videos I've seen.

(46:54):
Because when whenever I when over andsomebody interviews, I do research and
I'm very committed and I'm dedicated.I'm very serious and then I take a
lot of my interest. Then Iresearch and see videos, then observe the

(47:15):
things so that if somebody's asking questions, I should be prepared to respond to
that. That's right, Okay,So this is this is the great is
the greatness you're having, right,because I've seen a lot of passion from
your videos. Thank some three hoursback. Three hours back. Also I've

(47:37):
seen I've seen your three qualities ofleader. So really that shows the commitment.
To see commitment. It's not simplydoing things are going very you should
come from heart, right, Heartis something that comes from when you have
commitment, it comes from your heart. I have passion, it comes from
your heart. So that's how we'reto take it. So I appui,

(48:00):
thank you, thank you, andyou know One other thing is something I'm
passionate about too, that I've discoveredand learned is about mindful living, about
learning to be present. I havea very good friend, fellow toastmaster who
I enrolled in his class called theMindful Living Program, Matt Alfonso, And

(48:20):
in that program I ended up learninghow to become more present. I learned
how to meditate, I learned howto really enjoy the moments, and from
there I discovered things exactly that's whereI'm going with it, to see the
light in you. I discovered beingable to find these inner passions that you're
describing about me. But it wasbecause I had to become more present.

(48:43):
First, I had to I hadto learn to meditate, to be comfortable
with myself, to be comfortable withmy mind. And through that I started
seeking people like Tick not Han andmany other philosophers out there. And of
course the Ali Lama comes to mind, and in your book, he wrote

(49:04):
the foreword, and so I'm veryinterested on of course, the book,
which we're going to definitely talk about. But I can't help but wonder how
you were how you were granted theopportunity to meet the Dalai Lama. Okay,
I'll speak that I see a car, A car tolls. I watched

(49:27):
the videos for leaders on the mindfulnessand how can I how can I?
You know, I'm not perfect atpronouncing things, but I think we all
know who you're speaking about. TickNahan yea, yeah, so I you
was very close to Martin Luther thing. Yes, I think the civil rights

(49:52):
movement. He did pass away recentlyand Oprah did a fantastic interview with him,
um which you can find online.Uh. And he speaks to the
power of meditation and the power ofbeing present in that you you could be
meditating right now when we're speaking toeach other. We're meditating, when we're
living presently in the moment. Weare meditating when we're um, you know,

(50:15):
together in what we're doing. Andalso this is from India. He
is a very lane because when wheneverI take one one book, I'll talk,
I'll do a lot of research.Then you can't so well like this.

(50:35):
You know, whenever I write abook, you know, I do
a lot of research. Yeah.Then after doing research, then I write
a book book. That's how Ido it, right. The inspiration comes
from the research. Yeah, research, Yeah, correct, So I do
research and then I then update regularly. Then I write a book. So

(50:58):
that's how the general with UH thisbook. Now now coming to this book,
this book UH titled Seeing the Lightin Your The novel are forward.
I'm grateful to the novel Atlama becausehe has agreed to write a forward my

(51:24):
book. I'm grateful to him.He lives in India and I also live
in India. How the journey withhis soul, Bigan is that some four
to five years back, I havecome across some suicides among students students.

(51:45):
I felt very bad. I wasupset. I'm passionate about students and I
love my students. Then I thought, let me work on this trigger.
Why the suicides were raising in Yeah, because of the educational problems or something.
Then I started doing research. ThenI wrote a couple of chapter one

(52:13):
the soocide. Then I wrote aboutdiverses. Then I wrote about mindfulness well
as monkey mind life. That twodifferent chapters are how uh frame. Then
I have said the man manuscript tohis and he has agreed to and he

(52:34):
has written a foreword. So thisis how the journey with the start.
It's always persistent. Yeah again everywhereit's persistent to say nothing comes easy.
Now, the things that come easilythat will go away easily. I believe
with that the things that come easilythat will go easily. So so it's

(52:58):
not easy life. It's not acake walker. So full of challenges.
We had to be persistent. Okay, even I posted to write for my
previous books, but it was resulted. But this book was accepted by because
this is my area of it.I hope you got the point my book.

(53:22):
Previous books were resucted by because theyare not related to mindfulness. Right,
this book is about mindfulness. Sothen I resonated with him. IR
resonated with the Dali Lama mindfulness,and so tell us about the study of
mindfulness. Okay, mindfulness means,you know, there are so many definitions

(53:46):
about mindfulness. Mindfleness means living inthe present and not worrying too much about
the future, not thinking about theunpleasant past. So we pull it in
this way. People often think aboutthe future. Okay, we can't predict

(54:07):
and people think about the unpleasant pastthat will never come back. So we
should learn to live in the present. So let me pull it in this
way. In the sense account tothe research, people wish thirty percent of
persistent by thinking about the unpleasant pastthat will ever come back. So why

(54:29):
should we think about that pleasant past? Let by guns be by guns.
Okay, so we we thirty percent, thirty percent of our mind space is
used to think about the past,past that won't come back. It doesn't
make any sense. And future wedon't know. I never thought that,
you know, I'll have brain store. Okay, So it was a life

(54:52):
is very present. So let meput it a simple sentence. Life is
present. Anything can happen to anytime. So don't worry too much about
the future, and don't think aboutthe unpresioned past. So learn to live
in the passage. This is mywhole way of definition of mindfulness. It's
mindful living. And let the hasput in a different version of this one.

(55:15):
Sometimes people are asking the person yousay that you know your lessons from
the past. Yes, I doagree. We are to learn from the
past because you you have to learnfrom the past. Okay, so that
you don't make you don't make thesame mistics in the future. That's fun

(55:37):
thing. And you have to thinkabout the present next levelist future. Okay,
you have to be optimistic about thefuture. You have to be bullish
about the future. But your futureshould not be at the past of the
present. Did I make sense?Oh yeah, oh yeah, I wrote
down you know, it's it's don'tworry about the past. To me,

(56:00):
it's a plan for the future tolearn from those mistakes, but live in
the present leave the present. Yeahcorrect, yeah, yeah, so that
miss past miss Okay, we areto forget, but it's the same word
length from the past. Also becausefrom the history we learn, so these
are the mistakes we are we shouldnot do the same mistakes again, that's

(56:21):
one vershion and then the future weare to be optimistic. See, I
have a vision by twenty thirty,I should become presion. I mean I
I want to build one release ladsthe vision right, so future, so
that that I'm having, but thatshould not be at the cost of the
present. So I like. Ilike that you say that it shouldn't be

(56:43):
at the cost of the present becausewhen when you use the word cost,
which is very important, I think, because it's important to learn from our
mistakes. But but when we startharping on those mistakes and we start going
down the path of of despair andthe dark tunnel, then it's costing us

(57:04):
our present moment. It's costing usthe opportunities right in front of us in
this moment. And then the samething with the future is that when we
start planning for the future, ifwe plan too much, or if we
think too negatively or too optimistically,then we're also robbing ourself of the present
moment because we're not living in theopportunity that we currently have. So I

(57:27):
really like how you use that wordcost, because there's a cost associated to
both, and it's worth it totake that cost of like learning from the
past, that's an important investment.I would say it's an investment to learn
from our past, and it's aninvestment to plan for the future. But
we shouldn't allow it cost us anythingeither. You need it, you hit

(57:51):
the bulls A. Yeah, yousaid it lately, excellent. I'm just
repeating what you're saying. You shouldnot get the cost of the present,
right. We are talking about thismindfulness in living mindfully. Yeah, at
the same time optimistically about the future, that's right, but not plasimistically about

(58:14):
the unpleasant must Yeah, And it'sso nice to think positively about our futures.
I think I think it's important toplan for failure. It's important to
plan for what might go wrong,um and set up some sort of um
uh safety barriers or guard rails aswe might say, for for those issues.

(58:36):
But really to focus on on apleasant future, because there's so many
things that could be that can goright in our future, So why not
think about the things that can goright? I mean, even for you,
um to be so optimistic about yourhealth that you were able to walk
again, and I'm sure you're optimisticabout your your hand and your arm eventually
working again. And because of youroptimistic view on the future, you also

(59:00):
realize that even if it doesn't workagain, you're going to find a way
to make it work, to writemore books, to continue to to go
forward. Yeah, thank you,thank you for paraplesing, thank you for
empathe with me. I have Iwant to write a book either memory are

(59:20):
my autobiography. Hopefully I'll write abook book after a year. Also I'll
share my challenges, betrayals by somerogues or others, you know, I
would like to share everything. Yeah, through my autobiography are memory because nobody

(59:43):
is very many people they are writingtheir autobiographies are uh. The memories memoryies
a short shuttle version. You know, it's a small a small portion memoirs.
Memoirs is a small portion of theirlife, is what you're saying,
right, So the Yeah, ifyou look at Mahatma, my experiments with

(01:00:06):
the truth, that's about autobiography.Okay, so like that. So I
want to write a memory in asmall like memory. So you want to
write, I'm just to be clear. You want to write a memoir about
your life, is what you're saying. I want to write a small portion,
not that, not the entire mybiography, only a portion of it

(01:00:29):
that's a memory, like Obama wrote. Mm okay, okay, like that.
I think Michelle Obama also, Ithink she wrote so like that.
And I also want to write amemory in my challenge is a portion of
my life, not the full fullportion, full portions that becomes autobio.

(01:00:51):
Yeah. So so I want toput it very clearly. So I want
to write a memory about my healthissues and how I was betrayed by some
people, ropes, challenges, betrayals, all those things and what you learned
from them all. Yeah, yeah, led yeah, lent lent and become
resilient. I decided not to trustpeople blindly, so so many challenges.

(01:01:15):
But okay, let bygasgas, that'sright. Forgive the past. Let us
forget the past and be grateful andthank them for teaching me all the lessons.
Yes again, I'm again, Iam very positive. Yeah, thanks
for teaching me all lessons. Yeah, you're you're very positive. You've overcome

(01:01:35):
so much. I want to justgo back to this. And you know,
dyslexia and ADHD is a challenge ofits own. I also have dyslexia,
and so I realize it as well. Um. You know, dyslexia
certainly is very challenging and something elsethat we share in common. My my
right arm is not paralyzed to thedegree of yours. Um, But I

(01:01:57):
had a skiing accident um back intothousand and four, and so therefore I
don't have any muscle in my shoulder. And so when it first happened,
they they did not think that I'dbe able to lift my arm ever again,
that I'd be able to play basketballever again, that I'd be able
to do any of those things.But you know, like you said,
the power of the mind is forme. I just always decide. I

(01:02:22):
decided I want to be able tobuild strength in my arm. I'm going
to do all of the exercises,and so I always exercised to the point
where I play basketball with no differencesthat I did before. I still don't
have muscle there, so there,I certainly have some limitations and some difficulties.
But you know, it's you knowthat, Like you said, it's
it's believing that we can overcome thesechallenges and finding alternate ways to overcome them.

(01:02:45):
And so you and I share alot in common, and I'm grateful
for your persistence, and I'm gratefulfor this opportunity to be able to meet
with you via zoom and go overcomeall the challenges it took us to be
able to get a test to workbecause we were having challenges in the studio
for this um. This has justbeen a wonderful hour to spend with you,

(01:03:06):
and I look forward to doing thisagain with you and learning more about
your your life and everything that's goingon. So life is a learning count.
So it said that way, Igive to know that you have some
problem with my right or shoulder,So yeah, over come on. But

(01:03:27):
in my case, what happened,I'm already fifty eight at the time fifty
nine, So at this age it'smore challenging for me to recover. But
still I recover. That's it.Yeah, people can recover, that's right.
When that the tea party. Afterfifty it's very difficult to recover.
That's fifty nine now, but stillyou know daily, you know, I'm

(01:03:50):
going for a walk one of ourevening. And I started going to Gyne
for tours. I'm doing workout inthe Gyne the last six months. Certainly
I want to get back to thefeet very faster. The sense I want
to type to all the things.Yeah, I'll say doctor. I was
watching some of your videos on YouTube, and you are a very fit man,

(01:04:14):
very strong, very ambitious. Yeah, I was watching the boxing videos
and yeah, very fair, verystrong. I look forward to seeing you
there again boxing boxing. Yeah betterwhere I am getting excited because of your

(01:04:34):
interview. Actually, I forgot thatmy attend is problem with by talking to
you, I'm getting more excitement,more exciting because of conversation. Yeah,
well it's very cool. Well,I think you made my very special.
I thought usually and let me tellingpeople you know, your commitment is very

(01:05:00):
wrong. This is the thing Ihad mail in you. But some people.
You know, they don't have propercommitment. They said, Jim link,
then they can say they do,they said, Jim in invitation.
They again they can see like theybeen asking many people across the world.
But you're a rare person who stoodby your world. You stood by your

(01:05:23):
commitment. It's required. Now Iunderstand you had some technical problem someone out
of far back, but you somehowresolved it positively. Then again you put
everything into the track and you connectedthere to you. So that shows your
wrong positive attitude. Had it hadhad it been somebody else, what they

(01:05:44):
will say, who will see someothers They will simply described and they don't
respond as this is the attitude ofsome people across the world. So I
appreciate your commitment. Oh, thankyou, thank you. Yeah, this
has been, like I said,a pleasure and an honor to be able
to interview you. It's also alearning for me. I have to tell
you, as excited as I wasor am to interview you because of your

(01:06:10):
background, of all the books youwrote, of the people that you reference,
and also being able to say thatI'm interviewing somebody across the globe and
in India at a different time zone, all of those things, as amazing
as they are, I was alsoconcerned. I was fearful, um that
I'd be able to um live upto the expectation, that I'd be able

(01:06:32):
to understand what you're saying. UM. And I'm so happy that, uh,
that we were able to really communicatewell today. This has been a
real pleasure to interview with you today. No time is too club in India.
Okay, well you have to goto sleep, now, you have
to. I don't know how thattime was spent. It was not that

(01:06:54):
time spent. The time was spenttime in vesterday, go book, how
you take it, I don't know. Yes, so I don't know.
We spend our time and usually withoutone hour I think more than one hour.
I think. Yeah, we hadconversation. I felt very I felt
at home. Our conversation was isvery warm, very friendly. Although you

(01:07:21):
are much anger to me, butthere is no gap because of the generation
is difference, but empathized with empathizedwith me. So I felt very happy.
I am hornored and humbold. I'mgrateful to you for this wonderful opportunity.
Hopefully will have one more interview onsome other topic, some other subject.

(01:07:45):
And will continue. Our discussion,will continue our dala most certainly.
And I look forward to meeting youin person one day. I'm sure that
that day will cross out. Wecross our paths, that's right, Yes,
yeah, yeah, I look forwardto crossing paths with you. But

(01:08:09):
yeah, you know, the crosspath to me sounds like it's by accident,
by chance for us. We willwe will plan to cross paths.
We will cross our pots plan.Yes, that's very You're very positive,
and I am positive that you shouldbe invite you. If you invite me
also, then I can come theright kid, I mean work from New

(01:08:32):
York, correct, Yes, yeah, my son from Yes, I remember,
I think I told you yes.And Seattle, well, this is
very nice, son, my sonnice. Yeah. And and I want
to just say just so that everybodyknows, Um, if they want to

(01:08:53):
be able to find your books,they're on Amazon. You have a very
prolific Facebook and LinkedIn pages, soif if you'd like to connect with doctor
Row, you can find him onLinkedIn. And something I would also like
to recommend to everybody is to readthe reviews about you. I actually,
doctor Raule, I have to tellyou the recommendations on LinkedIn. I actually

(01:09:15):
printed them because you have you haveyou have over seventy one recommendations about yourself.
And I started doing this for certainpeople because when when asking about yourself,
sometimes you're very humble, and soit's nice to read what other people
think about you. And UM,we've had so many people this. This

(01:09:39):
one person, Paul Quark said,he doctor Rao has a fascinating career from
the military and the teaching of leadershipguru and is the author of over fifty
books. And he talks about yoursuccess and your mindset. Um. This
other person, Janet Martin, talksabout you. You're so positive and professional.
And Dave Rogers talks about your howyou transform negative information and unleashed potential

(01:10:06):
to live an impactful life full ofpossibilities. So I just want to share
that with everybody that you know,when you're when you're visiting someone's LinkedIn page
to read the recommendations, read whatpeople say about them. And you've impacted
so many people. I know youhave a mission to impact young leaders,

(01:10:26):
but you're impacting leaders today and Ijust want to show some gratitude and appreciation
to you. So thank you somuch for coming on the show today,
let me show one more thing thatyou're taking the print out recommendations touching my
heart. Really, nobody takes printof recommendations. Really, that shows how

(01:10:47):
committed and how passionate and how dedicatedin your profession and the kind of things
you're doing. Really, and nowcheck out of these. I keep on
working, hard, working hard,keep going and never look back. That's
the problem. Except recent past,after the Prince, I was going really

(01:11:10):
fast. Well, you're you're you'rea tremendous human being. I mean,
those are the hard skills mixed withthe soft skills that we talked about.
Thank you, Thank you again somuch for coming on today. I'm looking
forward to to many more meetings withyou. Thank you for listening to The
Michael Esposito Show. For show notes, video clips, and more episodes,
go to Michael Esposito Inc. Dotcom backslash podcast. Thank you again to

(01:11:35):
our sponsor, dan ten Insurance Services, helping businesses get the right insurance for
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(01:11:56):
episode was produced by Uncle Mike atthe iHeart Studios in Poughkeepsie. Special thanks
to Lara Rodrean for the opportunity andmy team at Michael Sposito Ang