January 21, 2025 • 32 mins
Great leaders are not simply born or made; they are continuously evolving. Damon Lembi shares powerful insights on leadership mindsets, overcoming imposter syndrome, and how AI is changing leadership training, reminding us that growth is a lifelong journey.
• Dissecting the ongoing debate of whether leaders are born or made
• Sharing personal stories impacting leadership philosophy
• The significance of a learn-it-all mindset in leadership
• Tools for overcoming imposter syndrome
• The role of technology and AI in modern leadership development
• Hiring for potential versus just experience
• Maintaining an adaptive and thriving organizational culture
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So, as a leader, if you have the opportunity and you
should look for talent peoplewho have an insatiable appetite
for learning, who havecommunication skills and want to
put in the work and are humble,set clear goals and standards,
give them an opportunity to makemistakes, coach them through
that and delegate and go fromthere.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hey Uncommon Leaders, welcome back.
This is the Uncommon LeaderPodcast.
I'm your host, john Gallagher,so I know you've heard the
question or questions oftenasked are leaders made or are
they born?
Well, my guest today, damonLembe, is gonna finally answer
that question for us, so youjust have to wait a little while
longer, but he's going to makesure you know before we go and I
think he's going to have agreat answer to that question.
(00:51):
Damon is a two-time bestsellingauthor.
He's the CEO of LearnIt, whichis a software platform that
teaches, ultimately has uplifted2 million people in their
leadership development since hebrought the company out, and I'm
excited to talk to him aboutthat a little bit more.
He also hosts the LearnedPodcast and you'll get to hear a
(01:12):
little bit about this, becauseI'll just probe it anyway.
But he was a high school andcollege All-American baseball
player and was drafted by theAtlanta Braves.
Then I just learned he wasactually close with one of my
favorite players growing up, andthat's Joe Montana when he was
with Notre Dame and the SanFrancisco 49ers.
So this should be a greatconversation today.
(01:34):
Damon, welcome to the UncommonLeader Podcast.
How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (01:38):
I'm doing great, john , and it's an honor to be here,
so thank you for having me,absolutely.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Well, before we jump into those stories and answer
those questions, I'm going togive you the same first question
I always give my first-timeguests, and that's to tell me a
story from your childhood thatstill impacts who you are today,
as a person or as a leader.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
So the story that comes to mind it was around 1982
, so I was 10, and my father wasthe CEO of Savings and Loan and
called Continental Savings ofAmerica, and we did and we're
big sports fans, as you kind ofmentioned and he had what was
called Kids Opening Day atCandlestick Park and what he did
(02:18):
was it was the first Saturdayafter opening day and he bought
25,000 tickets for the game andhe bust in all of as many kids
as possible from inner citiesand low-income neighborhoods and
we rented out half of theparking lot at Candlestick Park.
I was able to be the ball boythat day, the bat, that bat boy,
(02:41):
and it was a tremendousexperience because my dad and
this is part of what I'll alwaysremember was he was a big fan
for the underdog and he alwayswanted to give people an
opportunity and a chance whomaybe wouldn't have gotten that
chance.
And so, if we fast forward, 30years later, unfortunately my
(03:03):
dad was passing away from cancerand I was there with him and
his college roommate, this greatguy, black guy, named Bert
Strain, and we said Bert workedwith my dad and he said we're
going to bring this back, walt,you know you're going to get out
of this hospital and we'regoing to have baseball for the
stars and you know, we knew hewasn't going to get out of the
hospital.
(03:23):
But what we did, john for forseven years straight was in my
dad's honor is we got 300 to 400kids from oakland, california,
san leon, san leandro, all theseareas and their parents, and we
brought them out there and wehad I brought all my ex-baseball
buddies and we have speakerslike ricky h, coco Crisp, john
(03:44):
Sally, even Joe Morgan, and wejust talked a lot about how you
know, through sports and otheravenues, you can get out of the
situation you're in.
And there you know there ismore to life than drugs and
crime and it's just something.
When I heard this question andprepared for it, it's something
that I always believed in isgiving underdogs the opportunity
(04:05):
and finding other channels tofind your way in life, and I
think sports has been a huge onefor me and it's really helped
me model my perspective andapproach to leadership.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Love that and I use sports analogies all the time in
terms of leadership development.
You see, while it's blurred outa little bit, the uncommon book
by Tony Dungy and the dailydevotional that I use from Tony
Dungy I could go through thelist.
He played to win the game withHerm Edwards and certainly Lou
Holtz books that are sitting upthere winning every day.
(04:39):
I mean the different versions,the Notre Dame version and the
South Carolina version, whateverthat is, but the Notre Dame
version has to be a betterversion.
But then there's this book aswell, that I just finished up
the.
Learn it All, leader.
That's a story about sports andhow it impacts leadership and,
ultimately, how it's led you tobuild your company.
Learn it.
So tell me a little bit aboutthis book first.
(05:01):
Again, two-timetime bestsellingauthor and Damon, I've made my
way through it.
Who did you write this book forand why did you write it now?
Speaker 1 (05:09):
So I originally set out to write a book.
I was thinking about writing abook about my you know, my
family and my experience in SanFrancisco, but as I got thinking
about it, I wanted to.
I had a unique opportunity.
I played, I played sports.
I played baseball for threeHall of Fame baseball coaches.
I played sports, I playedbaseball for three Hall of Fame
baseball coaches.
So I wrote this book for otherindividuals who, let's say, they
(05:30):
didn't go to nothing wrong withHarvard and all these you know
MBA schools, but individualslike me who either went to a
regular college or maybe didn'teven go to college, to show them
that through hard work andcontinuous learning that you can
become a great leader andthrive.
Number two I feel like I've hadthis unique opportunity to see
(05:54):
behind the curtains of all thesegreat organizations over the
years great leaders and poorleaders, john and how they go
about their business.
So that's number two.
And number three, of course, asI mentioned to you, I've got a
seven-year-old and athree-year-old and I wanted to
be able to share my legacy.
But also my mom's still alive,but my dad's gone and I wanted
(06:16):
them to be able to learn aboutthe upbringing I had and the
learnings from them, as well asmy grandfather.
So those are really the threereasons that I wrote the book.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Love that and I've appreciated the stories that you
have all through the book.
Look, let's just jump rightinto it.
In terms of what you have there, you broke the book really out
into two sections.
You mentioned that for leaders,leaders are beers and they are
doers.
So tell me a little bit aboutthat and kind of how you came to
that framework as you're goingthrough the book and in your own
(06:47):
leadership development.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Yeah, so I broke it down into being and doing.
You know, and being is reallyabout the mindset, and so I call
it, I refer to it as alearn-it-all mindset, similar,
you know, obviously like agrowth mindset, and that is
always that, like you mentioned.
You know, I believe greatleaders understand that they
don't have all the answers andthat you have to be continuously
(07:09):
growing.
You know, the opposite of alearn-it-all is a know-it-all.
You know somebody who comes tothe game.
They have it all figured out.
You know their eyes glaze overwhen somebody asks them a
question because it's my way orthe highway.
And I have found that, you know,some of the best leaders I've
come across are ones who arealways open and they're humble
(07:29):
and they're looking for ways toalways adapt and grow.
So that's like the first halfof the book talks about that,
and then the second half is thatyou know, I heard this great
quote from somebody thatlearning without doing is
treason, and so the second halfof the book are some practical
insights and actionabletakeaways for actually applying
(07:50):
what we talked about, because Igot a bunch of books behind me.
You got a bunch of books behindyou, but if all you do is read
and you don't roll up yoursleeves and actually apply any
of the stuff that you learn, Ithink you're missing out on a
great opportunity.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Amen, brother, and I think that and I take it back to
scripture as well, in terms ofwhat we learn out of scripture
and how we live our life, givingus the roadmap to live a great
life as well.
But many books you're exactlyright, and if we can be
intentional at those books look,I was in my own personal
leadership development and stillto this day I have to fight it.
(08:23):
But I get this sense of when Isee the cover of a book and I'm
like that's the answer and assoon as I read the book, I'm
going to have it and I'm goingto know it, and you can see by
our bookshelves that it wasn'tone book that impacts us and
takes us all the way throughthat.
But this is a book, no doubt,that's got a lot of those
stories.
Chapter one, right off the batin terms of being, you said, go
all in.
One of the things you talkabout in there is the imposter
(08:47):
syndrome, something we hearabout a lot lately.
Tell me a little bit about thatand how you have experienced
that yourself and help others toovercome it.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
So the imposter syndrome, you, they're either
lying or they're sociopaths, youknow.
And so what I wanted to do isshare my experience, and my
experience really with uhimposter syndrome really for the
first time was when I, you know, when I finished high school I
was a high school American uh,drafted by Atlanta Braves, as
you mentioned and I, uh, youknow it was always one of the
(09:40):
best players around and I played, you know, across the country
and even in Korea.
And but for the first time inmy life, when I got to
Pepperdine, I realized thateverybody there was as good or
better than me.
And it was really for the firsttime in my life where I thought
do I even belong here?
Am I even good enough to behere?
(10:01):
And I remember, like it wasyesterday, and I tell this story
in the book, but I was walkinginto the office of my coach,
andy Lopez, and this was ourfirst player coach.
Sit down, kind of like aperformance review in the fall
practice.
And I sat down and Lopez, beforeI even had a chance to speak,
he leaned forward and he said,damon, when I recruited you to
(10:24):
come to Pepperdine, it wasbecause I believed that you
would be a great third basemanand you could hit in the middle
of our lineup.
But he said you know what, son?
And he sat back, crossed hisarms and said you just don't
have what it takes to playdivision one baseball.
And he was just quiet, and soyou can imagine how I felt I was
.
I was I felt like how do I getout of here?
(10:44):
What's the quickest way to gethome?
You know I I'm floored by this.
I knew I wasn't doing well, butI didn't know that.
My coach thought I wasn't goodenough to be there.
But and before I had anopportunity to answer, he he sat
forward again and he pointed atme and he said that's not what
I believe about you, that's notwhat our coaches see in you.
(11:04):
Our coaches believe, and Ibelieve, that you have what it
takes to be a great Division Ibaseball player and probably
play professionally.
But the situation here is,damon, it's not up to us.
At some point you need to getout of your own head and you
need to compete.
We brought you here to competeand until you do so, you're
(11:25):
gonna, you're gonna continue tostruggle, struggle and, john,
I'd like to say that Iimmediately left coach lopez's
office and turned things around.
Unfortunately I didn't.
I got hurt.
Um, my season came to an end.
I bounced around a little bit,uh, went to a junior college and
then I got an opportunity to goplay.
I got a full ride again toArizona State and at Arizona
(11:49):
State, a lot of people before Itook the scholarship they said
Damon, maybe you should just goto a small school, maybe you can
just go someplace where you canget your degree and you can
move on with your life.
But I said to myself, hey, thisis my last shot with baseball,
so I'm going to face these fearsstraight on.
And that's kind of what I did.
And I came up with thisthree-step framework for
(12:10):
overcoming imposter syndrome,which is really work hard.
Number one I don't think thatyou can.
There's no hacks to success.
You have to work hard.
Number two is deliberatepractice.
Right, so let's say that you'restruggling to get.
You know, you're going to givea keynote, or maybe you're
(12:30):
managing for the first time andyou're kind of wondering like,
oh, am I even good enough to bein here?
Well, find out the areas thatyou think you need the most work
on and put in the deliberatepractice.
And then step three is when youstep into the batter's box or
you step up on stage is learnand let go right.
You've worked hard, you put inthe deliberate practice and now
(12:53):
just go out there, forget abouttechniques and just give it your
best shot.
And really, john, what I foundis that too often we're just so
hard on ourselves, right, and wedon't give ourselves enough
credit for stepping out of ourcomfort zone and trying things
that most people never even getto that point.
So you should give yourself apat on the back, whether or not,
(13:14):
let's say, you crush it or youfall flat on your face, or maybe
you did somewhere in between.
It's all learning opportunities, and so with that I mean that's
my recommendation.
Advice for everyone is for howto overcome the imposter
syndrome, and even a step before.
All of that is, think aboutwhat you're so worried about and
(13:35):
at the end of the day, I wasworried about, you know, maybe
not making a baseball team.
Well, if that's something youcould live with, then just then,
just go for it.
So that that's how I recommendyou know.
You know, conquering a head on,uh, imposter syndrome.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
I don't.
I don't know why, but it usedto.
It's some for some reason.
My used to be a horrendous golfgame, which I don't play golf
anymore was a lot like whatyou're talking about there.
Work hard, deliberate practice.
You can practice all you want,but if you step up in the box
and you're trying to tellyourself all the steps that are
going to practice, or step outonto the tee box and try to do
that, you're guaranteed to dowhat you just said.
(14:15):
You're going to slice it,you're going to miss swing and a
miss, whatever.
That is because you'reoverthinking it.
But developing that ability tolet go once you get there and
trust that all that hard workand that deliberate practice is
going to work for you is veryimportant as well, and it's a
step that many don't overcome.
That's why they don't end up inthe major leagues or on the
(14:37):
professional golf links orwhatever that is to go forward
is that they hold themselvesback, simply from a mindset
standpoint.
The other thing that came tomind was the Nick Saban quote
that you know you don't practiceuntil you get it right.
You practice until you can'tget it wrong.
That's that deliberate natureof just saying it's going to be
fluid.
It's going to be motion andit's just going to happen, and I
(14:57):
appreciate that, whether it'sin the batter's box or it's on
the stage where you're gettingready to do a presentation or,
frankly, to your point aboutleadership, where you're getting
ready to give feedback tosomebody for the first time.
You know it's very difficult todo, but if you practice at it,
you model it and then you let go, it's usually some of the best
things can happen.
I appreciate you sharing thatas you go forward Now, when you
(15:19):
think about your personaldevelopment, in terms of both in
your organization as well asyour own personal growth.
You mentioned that biographiesare one of your favorite books
to read.
Do you have a favoritebiography that you've been
influenced by, that has made adifference and you want to share
(15:40):
with?
Speaker 1 (15:41):
others.
I love the question.
I think one of my favoritebiographies of all time I don't
think I know is Losing myVirginity by Richard Branson,
and it just at the beginning ofmy career, around 97 98 is when
I first picked it up and I lovedall the stories.
I'm also a big fan of music buthe shares a lot of his
(16:01):
challenges going up against thebig guys and some of the
mistakes he made and thechallenges and what's overcome,
and so I love that.
I love all his work.
You know he's got some morerecent versions of kind of like
a biography or business book.
So I love his work and I'm alsoa big World War II buff and I
(16:23):
love a bunch of WinstonChurchill biographies.
So I've read I can't think of aspecific one, but I've read
several of them.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Okay, no, I appreciate biographies as well.
I usually listen to them versusreading them, but I do, like I.
This is again a mindset for me.
Is I like a book that I'munderlining and taking key
points from Biographies isreally staying focused on the
way that leaders made decisions,the way that they overcame
stress or tribulation becausethey all faced it and, frankly,
(16:55):
as you said, even the impostersyndrome.
Some of those great biographiesdetail what they had to
overcome to get there too, and Ithink that can be a powerful
story.
Okay, we've got to come back tothe first question, and that
was are leaders born or areleaders made?
Answer that question for me,damon.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Neither.
That's my answer.
Oh, so you know they're alwaysin the making.
Sure, some people are born withthe innate ability to have
charisma or whatever, but that'snot going to carry you
throughout your career,especially in today's world
which is crazy how fast, I think, human knowledge is doubling
(17:39):
every 12 hours, right, and sevengenerations in a workforce you
can't rest on your laurels.
And as far as it comes to beingmade, there's just so many
different things out there andso many different ways to do
things that you have to beconstantly learning and growing
(17:59):
and adapting.
So you're not born or made.
You're constantly in the making.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Hey listeners, I want to take a quick moment to share
something special with you.
Many of the topics anddiscussions we have on this
podcast are areas where Iprovide coaching and consulting
services for individuals andorganizations.
If you've been inspired by ourconversation and are seeking a
catalyst for change in your ownlife or within your team, I
invite you to visitcoachjohngallaghercom forward
(18:27):
slash free call to sign up for afree coaching call with me.
It's an opportunity for us toconnect, discuss your unique
challenges and explore howcoaching or consulting can
benefit you and your team.
Okay, let's get back to theshow.
All right, I'll take that as ananswer.
I appreciate that Always in themaking and I think that goes
(18:48):
along with your book Learn itAll, leader that we never really
get there, that we always needto be on a learning path.
Your company, learn it, hastrained, equipped, inspired more
than 2 million people since itsinception.
Tell me how learn it does that.
(19:09):
How do you inspire, encourageothers?
What would folks need to knowabout learning?
Speaker 1 (19:13):
so originally we started off as a lot.
We're a live learning platform,but originally for the first 20
, some odd years, we were mostlyin person.
You know, go on the clientsites.
We had locations in 10, 12different areas across the
country.
And then, with COVID, witheverybody else, we pivoted.
We went mostly virtual and I'dsay about 90% of our work is now
(19:34):
virtual.
We have some e-learninge-learning and, john, I'd say,
companies turn to us whenthey're looking to equip new
managers with skills andresources, especially mid-level
managers who need the most help.
If there's an organizationwhere maybe they're struggling
with communication and they wantto build a better culture of
(19:55):
communication or even just wantto have a thriving learning
organization, so they turn to usand we look at building out
training programs that helpalign with the skills gaps that
they have and we deliver itthrough either two hour virtual
sessions and we supplement itwith other learning
opportunities.
(20:16):
Now with whether it's AI toolsthat we have that we use, but
that's typically what it is it's.
We're mostly almost all B2B andwe work with organizations of
all sizes, especially individualcontributors, through middle
managers, to help on key skills,whether it be adaptability,
innovation, leading teams,emotional intelligence, and on
(20:39):
the flip side, we still do a lotof Microsoft Excel training.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Love that and the simplicity and the need for
Microsoft Excel training.
You mentioned AI.
Things continuously change inthe world of technology and you
provide a platform that's mostlyvirtual and has to be
challenging from a businessgrowth standpoint.
How are you embracing, if youwill, that AI technology and how
(21:04):
it's impacting your business?
Speaker 1 (21:06):
I would say, for whether it's LearnIt or any of
your listeners out there, wehave to embrace AI.
And you know, I like to say Imean you've probably heard it
before you know is AI going totake your job?
No, somebody who's a power userin AI will.
What I've done is, you know,similar, like you talked about
in chapter one of my book isI've just kind of gone all in, I
(21:26):
rolled up my sleeves.
I think, especially if you're aleader out there, if you want
your team to embrace AI which Ihope you do you got to model
that behavior and so, even ifit's just starting off and just
using chat, gpt or perplexity orsome of these tools, get
yourself familiar with it andthen invest in getting tools for
(21:49):
other people in yourorganization, because if you
don't adapt and grow with thetechnology, you're going to be
left behind.
And I look at it for thelearning industry.
I don't believe that AI isgoing to take over coaching or
live learning.
I think it's going to be agreat supplement Because, you
(22:09):
know, john, whether you'recoaching clients or we're
delivering workshops, you know atwo-hour session, one and done,
isn't going to create thatstickiness and retention.
You're going to need additionaltools, whether it's an AI habit
coach or follow-up informationthat pings you on different
behaviors you're trying tochange.
So I think you have to go allin.
(22:30):
Can't hide your head in thesand.
Ai is here to stay andobviously there's going to be
some social and ethical thingsyou need to take into
consideration, but I think it'sabsolutely critical from this
day moving forward.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
I love that and, again, embracing it.
It doesn't have to be the AI ofartificial intelligence.
It's augmented intelligence isthere to help make it easier or
make it better for you in termsof that training.
You mentioned the people sideof in your organization.
Again, are your jobs going tobe taken, whatever that means?
But that also means that you'realways on the look, as you grow
(23:09):
your organization, for peopleto bring onto your team.
You mentioned that you advocate, when hiring, potential over
experience.
Tell me a little bit more aboutthat and how that's benefited
you and your organization.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Yeah.
Now, obviously you can't do itfor all positions.
So if you're a $50 millioncompany and you need a COO, I
probably wouldn't recommendhiring somebody right out of
grad school with no experience.
But in most positions in theSan Francisco Bay Area, where
we're located, it's tough for asmall bootstrap company like
(23:45):
LearnIt to compete for talent.
To compete for talent, and oursecret sauce over the years is
we find people with aptitude andattitude and we bring them in.
You know that align with ourcore values that we have at
LearnIt around continuous growth, teamwork, accountability, and
if they have those values, thenwe bring them in and we give
(24:07):
them the opportunity to learn,make mistakes and grow, which I
think is incredibly important.
And in doing so over theseyears, I look at it like
sometimes we're like a minorleague team where the talent
comes and they stay with us forfour or five years till they get
brought up to the big leagues.
You know, maybe they go.
We've had so many employeesleave learn it after four or
(24:27):
five years and go to like aGoogle or something, but the
great thing about that is theyjust always keep referring
people back to learn it.
So I think, as a leader, if youhave the opportunity and you
should look for talent.
You know people who have aninsatiable appetite for learning
, who have communication skillsand want to put in the work and
(24:50):
are humble.
Give them an opportunity, setclear goals and standards.
Give them an opportunity tomake mistakes, coach them
through that and delegate and gofrom there.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
You're talking about that, the culture that's created
.
I still love the sports analogyof a minor league team up into
the big leagues Again, Damon.
So you've always got to belooking for new employees and
you mentioned the core values ofyour organization, how
important those are.
How do you maintain thatculture in your organization and
(25:29):
, frankly, what tips would youhave for other leaders who are
trying to maintain a highperforming culture on?
Speaker 1 (25:32):
their teams.
Similar to what I said about AI, john, I believe it always
starts at the top.
You know, if you have your corevalues and it's some acronym
and you throw it on the wall oryou throw in your signature
because you're a remote firstcompany and that's it, then
forget it.
I feel like, as a leader ofyour organization and your
(25:54):
senior team, they have to beliving those values all the time
, because as a leader, you knowthis, you're always on stage,
you're always on and your team'salways looking to you for how
to behave and how to react andhow to make decisions, and so I
think modeling that behavior,first and foremost, is most
important.
And number two is you can'tallow for toxic behavior.
(26:18):
I've worked with so manycustomers I'm sure you have too
where you have these topperformers who are just terrible
for your environment, and Ibelieve that if you allow that
to go on, the short-term windoesn't make up for the
long-term impact it's going tohave in your organization.
So if your values are teamworkand honesty and integrity,
(26:43):
whatever, then you need to leadby that, and if people aren't
following that, then maybe firsthire a coach like John and try
to coach him out of that and seeif it can be changed.
But if not, then you got tomake those bold decisions as a
leader and get rid of thosepeople to continue to grow your
company culture.
Because if you don't, if youdon't live by the words that you
(27:07):
say, that you want your cultureto be and model it from the top
, then you can't expecteverybody.
You want your culture to be andmodel it from the top, then you
can't expect everybody elsethroughout your organization to
do so either.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Damon, I appreciate that call out and I know I have
clients and I know people thatare listening.
I have team members that aredealing with that all the time
with regards to someone who maybe a top performer but they're
not exhibiting that the valuesexcuse me, the values that the
organization states and they canultimately end up leaving an
(27:38):
organization as a result of that.
You have to be very well awareand then again, those of you
listening as well as you look atthat growth journey, make sure
you're not one of those oneswho's creating something inside
of the culture even thoughyou're performing.
Don't let your ego get in theway of your behavior, because
you are always seen.
Integrity is something incharacter in terms of what's
(28:00):
happening.
It's so important to theorganization.
But I can't agree with youenough that the longer you let
someone like that stay in theorganization, the more damage
that can be done long-term.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
I made those mistakes over the years.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
I'm sure we all have Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
And at the time you think you're doing the right
thing.
But the second you cut baitit's like a thousand pounds off
everybody's shoulders and yourteam sees that.
So I just can't highlight itenough how important it is.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
So important.
Damon, two-time best-sellingauthor, the learn-it-all leader,
mindset traits and tools.
What do you got coming up inthe future?
What's next?
Speaker 1 (28:49):
What's next is continue down the path of what
we're going.
Especially, we just built outsome of our own technology for
the first time, which isexciting.
It's a learner portal whichwill add to the user experience
and extra resources, investingheavily in AI, like I mentioned,
around both customer experienceand also customer learning
(29:12):
experience, and just continue togrow and evolve.
I think one of the excitingthings about LearnIt is that we
focus a lot on soft skills,which you know, john, I hate
that term, but those are theskills.
If you look at the skills thatare most needed 2025 and beyond.
It is adaptability, it iscommunication, it is
communication, it is creativity,and those are like our sweet
(29:35):
spot of what we're doing.
So we're excited to help youknow future leaders thrive.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Damon, I appreciate that and I smile.
Yes, it is so true when I thinkabout the future of leadership
development.
You look, I mean the time whenwe're recording this we're right
coming up on an election andwhat we've been through as
communities, in our homes, inour states and in our country.
(30:05):
Frankly, that it's something,that those soft skills, when we
don't have them, become veryapparent and they result in
relationships that are damagedhopefully not for the long term,
but certainly can be damaged inthat time.
Damon, I've appreciated ourchat today.
How do folks stay in touch withyou and learn more about your
(30:26):
organization Learn it over 25years old.
You should be very proud ofthat accomplishment to have an
organization that's grown andsustained over that period of
time.
How do folks get in touch withyou and learn more?
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Well, I'm pretty active on LinkedIn, so find me
on LinkedIn at Damon Lemby.
I've got a podcast, the Learnit All podcast, which I'm super
excited about bringing on greatguests, so check it out there
and, of course, uh, learn itcom.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Excellent.
Well, put links to all thosethings in in the show notes that
we have.
Damon, again, I appreciate ourconversation.
I'm going to give you the lastword, and it's the question that
I ask all of my guests as well.
I'm going to give you abillboard.
Put it up there in SanFrancisco, somewhere in terms of
where folks want to see it, orin your area, and you can put
any message that you want to onthat billboard.
What's the message that you puton there and why?
Speaker 1 (31:17):
Well, it was going to be.
Great leaders aren't born ormade, they're in the making.
But since we've talked about itso much, john, I'm going to
pivot to saying buildingtomorrow's, building future,
great leaders.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
We need great leaders .
We have such a void that'sgoing on right now, so the work
that you're doing is soimportant.
Damon Lemby, again thank youfor being a guest on the
Uncommon Leader Podcast.
I know our listeners are goingto find value.
I wish you the best goingforward.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
Thanks, john, I appreciate being here.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
And that wraps up another episode of the Uncommon
Leader Podcast.
Thanks for tuning in today.
If you found value in thisepisode, I encourage you to
share it with your friends,colleagues or anyone else who
could benefit from the insightsand inspiration we've shared.
Also, if you have a moment, I'dgreatly appreciate if you could
leave a rating and review onyour favorite podcast platform.
Your feedback not only helps usto improve, but it also helps
(32:11):
others discover the podcast andjoin our growing community of
uncommon leaders.
Until next time, go and growchampions.
So, as a leader, if you have the opportunity and you
should look for talent peoplewho have an insatiable appetite
for learning, who havecommunication skills and want to
put in the work and are humble,set clear goals and standards,
give them an opportunity to makemistakes, coach them through
that and delegate and go fromthere.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hey Uncommon Leaders, welcome back.
This is the Uncommon LeaderPodcast.
I'm your host, john Gallagher,so I know you've heard the
question or questions oftenasked are leaders made or are
they born?
Well, my guest today, damonLembe, is gonna finally answer
that question for us, so youjust have to wait a little while
longer, but he's going to makesure you know before we go and I
think he's going to have agreat answer to that question.
(00:51):
Damon is a two-time bestsellingauthor.
He's the CEO of LearnIt, whichis a software platform that
teaches, ultimately has uplifted2 million people in their
leadership development since hebrought the company out, and I'm
excited to talk to him aboutthat a little bit more.
He also hosts the LearnedPodcast and you'll get to hear a
(01:12):
little bit about this, becauseI'll just probe it anyway.
But he was a high school andcollege All-American baseball
player and was drafted by theAtlanta Braves.
Then I just learned he wasactually close with one of my
favorite players growing up, andthat's Joe Montana when he was
with Notre Dame and the SanFrancisco 49ers.
So this should be a greatconversation today.
(01:34):
Damon, welcome to the UncommonLeader Podcast.
How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (01:38):
I'm doing great, john , and it's an honor to be here,
so thank you for having me,absolutely.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Well, before we jump into those stories and answer
those questions, I'm going togive you the same first question
I always give my first-timeguests, and that's to tell me a
story from your childhood thatstill impacts who you are today,
as a person or as a leader.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
So the story that comes to mind it was around 1982
, so I was 10, and my father wasthe CEO of Savings and Loan and
called Continental Savings ofAmerica, and we did and we're
big sports fans, as you kind ofmentioned and he had what was
called Kids Opening Day atCandlestick Park and what he did
(02:18):
was it was the first Saturdayafter opening day and he bought
25,000 tickets for the game andhe bust in all of as many kids
as possible from inner citiesand low-income neighborhoods and
we rented out half of theparking lot at Candlestick Park.
I was able to be the ball boythat day, the bat, that bat boy,
(02:41):
and it was a tremendousexperience because my dad and
this is part of what I'll alwaysremember was he was a big fan
for the underdog and he alwayswanted to give people an
opportunity and a chance whomaybe wouldn't have gotten that
chance.
And so, if we fast forward, 30years later, unfortunately my
(03:03):
dad was passing away from cancerand I was there with him and
his college roommate, this greatguy, black guy, named Bert
Strain, and we said Bert workedwith my dad and he said we're
going to bring this back, walt,you know you're going to get out
of this hospital and we'regoing to have baseball for the
stars and you know, we knew hewasn't going to get out of the
hospital.
(03:23):
But what we did, john for forseven years straight was in my
dad's honor is we got 300 to 400kids from oakland, california,
san leon, san leandro, all theseareas and their parents, and we
brought them out there and wehad I brought all my ex-baseball
buddies and we have speakerslike ricky h, coco Crisp, john
(03:44):
Sally, even Joe Morgan, and wejust talked a lot about how you
know, through sports and otheravenues, you can get out of the
situation you're in.
And there you know there ismore to life than drugs and
crime and it's just something.
When I heard this question andprepared for it, it's something
that I always believed in isgiving underdogs the opportunity
(04:05):
and finding other channels tofind your way in life, and I
think sports has been a huge onefor me and it's really helped
me model my perspective andapproach to leadership.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Love that and I use sports analogies all the time in
terms of leadership development.
You see, while it's blurred outa little bit, the uncommon book
by Tony Dungy and the dailydevotional that I use from Tony
Dungy I could go through thelist.
He played to win the game withHerm Edwards and certainly Lou
Holtz books that are sitting upthere winning every day.
(04:39):
I mean the different versions,the Notre Dame version and the
South Carolina version, whateverthat is, but the Notre Dame
version has to be a betterversion.
But then there's this book aswell, that I just finished up
the.
Learn it All, leader.
That's a story about sports andhow it impacts leadership and,
ultimately, how it's led you tobuild your company.
Learn it.
So tell me a little bit aboutthis book first.
(05:01):
Again, two-timetime bestsellingauthor and Damon, I've made my
way through it.
Who did you write this book forand why did you write it now?
Speaker 1 (05:09):
So I originally set out to write a book.
I was thinking about writing abook about my you know, my
family and my experience in SanFrancisco, but as I got thinking
about it, I wanted to.
I had a unique opportunity.
I played, I played sports.
I played baseball for threeHall of Fame baseball coaches.
I played sports, I playedbaseball for three Hall of Fame
baseball coaches.
So I wrote this book for otherindividuals who, let's say, they
(05:30):
didn't go to nothing wrong withHarvard and all these you know
MBA schools, but individualslike me who either went to a
regular college or maybe didn'teven go to college, to show them
that through hard work andcontinuous learning that you can
become a great leader andthrive.
Number two I feel like I've hadthis unique opportunity to see
(05:54):
behind the curtains of all thesegreat organizations over the
years great leaders and poorleaders, john and how they go
about their business.
So that's number two.
And number three, of course, asI mentioned to you, I've got a
seven-year-old and athree-year-old and I wanted to
be able to share my legacy.
But also my mom's still alive,but my dad's gone and I wanted
(06:16):
them to be able to learn aboutthe upbringing I had and the
learnings from them, as well asmy grandfather.
So those are really the threereasons that I wrote the book.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Love that and I've appreciated the stories that you
have all through the book.
Look, let's just jump rightinto it.
In terms of what you have there, you broke the book really out
into two sections.
You mentioned that for leaders,leaders are beers and they are
doers.
So tell me a little bit aboutthat and kind of how you came to
that framework as you're goingthrough the book and in your own
(06:47):
leadership development.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Yeah, so I broke it down into being and doing.
You know, and being is reallyabout the mindset, and so I call
it, I refer to it as alearn-it-all mindset, similar,
you know, obviously like agrowth mindset, and that is
always that, like you mentioned.
You know, I believe greatleaders understand that they
don't have all the answers andthat you have to be continuously
(07:09):
growing.
You know, the opposite of alearn-it-all is a know-it-all.
You know somebody who comes tothe game.
They have it all figured out.
You know their eyes glaze overwhen somebody asks them a
question because it's my way orthe highway.
And I have found that, you know,some of the best leaders I've
come across are ones who arealways open and they're humble
(07:29):
and they're looking for ways toalways adapt and grow.
So that's like the first halfof the book talks about that,
and then the second half is thatyou know, I heard this great
quote from somebody thatlearning without doing is
treason, and so the second halfof the book are some practical
insights and actionabletakeaways for actually applying
(07:50):
what we talked about, because Igot a bunch of books behind me.
You got a bunch of books behindyou, but if all you do is read
and you don't roll up yoursleeves and actually apply any
of the stuff that you learn, Ithink you're missing out on a
great opportunity.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Amen, brother, and I think that and I take it back to
scripture as well, in terms ofwhat we learn out of scripture
and how we live our life, givingus the roadmap to live a great
life as well.
But many books you're exactlyright, and if we can be
intentional at those books look,I was in my own personal
leadership development and stillto this day I have to fight it.
(08:23):
But I get this sense of when Isee the cover of a book and I'm
like that's the answer and assoon as I read the book, I'm
going to have it and I'm goingto know it, and you can see by
our bookshelves that it wasn'tone book that impacts us and
takes us all the way throughthat.
But this is a book, no doubt,that's got a lot of those
stories.
Chapter one, right off the batin terms of being, you said, go
all in.
One of the things you talkabout in there is the imposter
(08:47):
syndrome, something we hearabout a lot lately.
Tell me a little bit about thatand how you have experienced
that yourself and help others toovercome it.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
So the imposter syndrome, you, they're either
lying or they're sociopaths, youknow.
And so what I wanted to do isshare my experience, and my
experience really with uhimposter syndrome really for the
first time was when I, you know, when I finished high school I
was a high school American uh,drafted by Atlanta Braves, as
you mentioned and I, uh, youknow it was always one of the
(09:40):
best players around and I played, you know, across the country
and even in Korea.
And but for the first time inmy life, when I got to
Pepperdine, I realized thateverybody there was as good or
better than me.
And it was really for the firsttime in my life where I thought
do I even belong here?
Am I even good enough to behere?
(10:01):
And I remember, like it wasyesterday, and I tell this story
in the book, but I was walkinginto the office of my coach,
andy Lopez, and this was ourfirst player coach.
Sit down, kind of like aperformance review in the fall
practice.
And I sat down and Lopez, beforeI even had a chance to speak,
he leaned forward and he said,damon, when I recruited you to
(10:24):
come to Pepperdine, it wasbecause I believed that you
would be a great third basemanand you could hit in the middle
of our lineup.
But he said you know what, son?
And he sat back, crossed hisarms and said you just don't
have what it takes to playdivision one baseball.
And he was just quiet, and soyou can imagine how I felt I was
.
I was I felt like how do I getout of here?
(10:44):
What's the quickest way to gethome?
You know I I'm floored by this.
I knew I wasn't doing well, butI didn't know that.
My coach thought I wasn't goodenough to be there.
But and before I had anopportunity to answer, he he sat
forward again and he pointed atme and he said that's not what
I believe about you, that's notwhat our coaches see in you.
(11:04):
Our coaches believe, and Ibelieve, that you have what it
takes to be a great Division Ibaseball player and probably
play professionally.
But the situation here is,damon, it's not up to us.
At some point you need to getout of your own head and you
need to compete.
We brought you here to competeand until you do so, you're
(11:25):
gonna, you're gonna continue tostruggle, struggle and, john,
I'd like to say that Iimmediately left coach lopez's
office and turned things around.
Unfortunately I didn't.
I got hurt.
Um, my season came to an end.
I bounced around a little bit,uh, went to a junior college and
then I got an opportunity to goplay.
I got a full ride again toArizona State and at Arizona
(11:49):
State, a lot of people before Itook the scholarship they said
Damon, maybe you should just goto a small school, maybe you can
just go someplace where you canget your degree and you can
move on with your life.
But I said to myself, hey, thisis my last shot with baseball,
so I'm going to face these fearsstraight on.
And that's kind of what I did.
And I came up with thisthree-step framework for
(12:10):
overcoming imposter syndrome,which is really work hard.
Number one I don't think thatyou can.
There's no hacks to success.
You have to work hard.
Number two is deliberatepractice.
Right, so let's say that you'restruggling to get.
You know, you're going to givea keynote, or maybe you're
(12:30):
managing for the first time andyou're kind of wondering like,
oh, am I even good enough to bein here?
Well, find out the areas thatyou think you need the most work
on and put in the deliberatepractice.
And then step three is when youstep into the batter's box or
you step up on stage is learnand let go right.
You've worked hard, you put inthe deliberate practice and now
(12:53):
just go out there, forget abouttechniques and just give it your
best shot.
And really, john, what I foundis that too often we're just so
hard on ourselves, right, and wedon't give ourselves enough
credit for stepping out of ourcomfort zone and trying things
that most people never even getto that point.
So you should give yourself apat on the back, whether or not,
(13:14):
let's say, you crush it or youfall flat on your face, or maybe
you did somewhere in between.
It's all learning opportunities, and so with that I mean that's
my recommendation.
Advice for everyone is for howto overcome the imposter
syndrome, and even a step before.
All of that is, think aboutwhat you're so worried about and
(13:35):
at the end of the day, I wasworried about, you know, maybe
not making a baseball team.
Well, if that's something youcould live with, then just then,
just go for it.
So that that's how I recommendyou know.
You know, conquering a head on,uh, imposter syndrome.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
I don't.
I don't know why, but it usedto.
It's some for some reason.
My used to be a horrendous golfgame, which I don't play golf
anymore was a lot like whatyou're talking about there.
Work hard, deliberate practice.
You can practice all you want,but if you step up in the box
and you're trying to tellyourself all the steps that are
going to practice, or step outonto the tee box and try to do
that, you're guaranteed to dowhat you just said.
(14:15):
You're going to slice it,you're going to miss swing and a
miss, whatever.
That is because you'reoverthinking it.
But developing that ability tolet go once you get there and
trust that all that hard workand that deliberate practice is
going to work for you is veryimportant as well, and it's a
step that many don't overcome.
That's why they don't end up inthe major leagues or on the
(14:37):
professional golf links orwhatever that is to go forward
is that they hold themselvesback, simply from a mindset
standpoint.
The other thing that came tomind was the Nick Saban quote
that you know you don't practiceuntil you get it right.
You practice until you can'tget it wrong.
That's that deliberate natureof just saying it's going to be
fluid.
It's going to be motion andit's just going to happen, and I
(14:57):
appreciate that, whether it'sin the batter's box or it's on
the stage where you're gettingready to do a presentation or,
frankly, to your point aboutleadership, where you're getting
ready to give feedback tosomebody for the first time.
You know it's very difficult todo, but if you practice at it,
you model it and then you let go, it's usually some of the best
things can happen.
I appreciate you sharing thatas you go forward Now, when you
(15:19):
think about your personaldevelopment, in terms of both in
your organization as well asyour own personal growth.
You mentioned that biographiesare one of your favorite books
to read.
Do you have a favoritebiography that you've been
influenced by, that has made adifference and you want to share
(15:40):
with?
Speaker 1 (15:41):
others.
I love the question.
I think one of my favoritebiographies of all time I don't
think I know is Losing myVirginity by Richard Branson,
and it just at the beginning ofmy career, around 97 98 is when
I first picked it up and I lovedall the stories.
I'm also a big fan of music buthe shares a lot of his
(16:01):
challenges going up against thebig guys and some of the
mistakes he made and thechallenges and what's overcome,
and so I love that.
I love all his work.
You know he's got some morerecent versions of kind of like
a biography or business book.
So I love his work and I'm alsoa big World War II buff and I
(16:23):
love a bunch of WinstonChurchill biographies.
So I've read I can't think of aspecific one, but I've read
several of them.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Okay, no, I appreciate biographies as well.
I usually listen to them versusreading them, but I do, like I.
This is again a mindset for me.
Is I like a book that I'munderlining and taking key
points from Biographies isreally staying focused on the
way that leaders made decisions,the way that they overcame
stress or tribulation becausethey all faced it and, frankly,
(16:55):
as you said, even the impostersyndrome.
Some of those great biographiesdetail what they had to
overcome to get there too, and Ithink that can be a powerful
story.
Okay, we've got to come back tothe first question, and that
was are leaders born or areleaders made?
Answer that question for me,damon.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Neither.
That's my answer.
Oh, so you know they're alwaysin the making.
Sure, some people are born withthe innate ability to have
charisma or whatever, but that'snot going to carry you
throughout your career,especially in today's world
which is crazy how fast, I think, human knowledge is doubling
(17:39):
every 12 hours, right, and sevengenerations in a workforce you
can't rest on your laurels.
And as far as it comes to beingmade, there's just so many
different things out there andso many different ways to do
things that you have to beconstantly learning and growing
(17:59):
and adapting.
So you're not born or made.
You're constantly in the making.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Hey listeners, I want to take a quick moment to share
something special with you.
Many of the topics anddiscussions we have on this
podcast are areas where Iprovide coaching and consulting
services for individuals andorganizations.
If you've been inspired by ourconversation and are seeking a
catalyst for change in your ownlife or within your team, I
invite you to visitcoachjohngallaghercom forward
(18:27):
slash free call to sign up for afree coaching call with me.
It's an opportunity for us toconnect, discuss your unique
challenges and explore howcoaching or consulting can
benefit you and your team.
Okay, let's get back to theshow.
All right, I'll take that as ananswer.
I appreciate that Always in themaking and I think that goes
(18:48):
along with your book Learn itAll, leader that we never really
get there, that we always needto be on a learning path.
Your company, learn it, hastrained, equipped, inspired more
than 2 million people since itsinception.
Tell me how learn it does that.
(19:09):
How do you inspire, encourageothers?
What would folks need to knowabout learning?
Speaker 1 (19:13):
so originally we started off as a lot.
We're a live learning platform,but originally for the first 20
, some odd years, we were mostlyin person.
You know, go on the clientsites.
We had locations in 10, 12different areas across the
country.
And then, with COVID, witheverybody else, we pivoted.
We went mostly virtual and I'dsay about 90% of our work is now
(19:34):
virtual.
We have some e-learninge-learning and, john, I'd say,
companies turn to us whenthey're looking to equip new
managers with skills andresources, especially mid-level
managers who need the most help.
If there's an organizationwhere maybe they're struggling
with communication and they wantto build a better culture of
(19:55):
communication or even just wantto have a thriving learning
organization, so they turn to usand we look at building out
training programs that helpalign with the skills gaps that
they have and we deliver itthrough either two hour virtual
sessions and we supplement itwith other learning
opportunities.
(20:16):
Now with whether it's AI toolsthat we have that we use, but
that's typically what it is it's.
We're mostly almost all B2B andwe work with organizations of
all sizes, especially individualcontributors, through middle
managers, to help on key skills,whether it be adaptability,
innovation, leading teams,emotional intelligence, and on
(20:39):
the flip side, we still do a lotof Microsoft Excel training.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Love that and the simplicity and the need for
Microsoft Excel training.
You mentioned AI.
Things continuously change inthe world of technology and you
provide a platform that's mostlyvirtual and has to be
challenging from a businessgrowth standpoint.
How are you embracing, if youwill, that AI technology and how
(21:04):
it's impacting your business?
Speaker 1 (21:06):
I would say, for whether it's LearnIt or any of
your listeners out there, wehave to embrace AI.
And you know, I like to say Imean you've probably heard it
before you know is AI going totake your job?
No, somebody who's a power userin AI will.
What I've done is, you know,similar, like you talked about
in chapter one of my book isI've just kind of gone all in, I
(21:26):
rolled up my sleeves.
I think, especially if you're aleader out there, if you want
your team to embrace AI which Ihope you do you got to model
that behavior and so, even ifit's just starting off and just
using chat, gpt or perplexity orsome of these tools, get
yourself familiar with it andthen invest in getting tools for
(21:49):
other people in yourorganization, because if you
don't adapt and grow with thetechnology, you're going to be
left behind.
And I look at it for thelearning industry.
I don't believe that AI isgoing to take over coaching or
live learning.
I think it's going to be agreat supplement Because, you
(22:09):
know, john, whether you'recoaching clients or we're
delivering workshops, you know atwo-hour session, one and done,
isn't going to create thatstickiness and retention.
You're going to need additionaltools, whether it's an AI habit
coach or follow-up informationthat pings you on different
behaviors you're trying tochange.
So I think you have to go allin.
(22:30):
Can't hide your head in thesand.
Ai is here to stay andobviously there's going to be
some social and ethical thingsyou need to take into
consideration, but I think it'sabsolutely critical from this
day moving forward.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
I love that and, again, embracing it.
It doesn't have to be the AI ofartificial intelligence.
It's augmented intelligence isthere to help make it easier or
make it better for you in termsof that training.
You mentioned the people sideof in your organization.
Again, are your jobs going tobe taken, whatever that means?
But that also means that you'realways on the look, as you grow
(23:09):
your organization, for peopleto bring onto your team.
You mentioned that you advocate, when hiring, potential over
experience.
Tell me a little bit more aboutthat and how that's benefited
you and your organization.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Yeah.
Now, obviously you can't do itfor all positions.
So if you're a $50 millioncompany and you need a COO, I
probably wouldn't recommendhiring somebody right out of
grad school with no experience.
But in most positions in theSan Francisco Bay Area, where
we're located, it's tough for asmall bootstrap company like
(23:45):
LearnIt to compete for talent.
To compete for talent, and oursecret sauce over the years is
we find people with aptitude andattitude and we bring them in.
You know that align with ourcore values that we have at
LearnIt around continuous growth, teamwork, accountability, and
if they have those values, thenwe bring them in and we give
(24:07):
them the opportunity to learn,make mistakes and grow, which I
think is incredibly important.
And in doing so over theseyears, I look at it like
sometimes we're like a minorleague team where the talent
comes and they stay with us forfour or five years till they get
brought up to the big leagues.
You know, maybe they go.
We've had so many employeesleave learn it after four or
(24:27):
five years and go to like aGoogle or something, but the
great thing about that is theyjust always keep referring
people back to learn it.
So I think, as a leader, if youhave the opportunity and you
should look for talent.
You know people who have aninsatiable appetite for learning
, who have communication skillsand want to put in the work and
(24:50):
are humble.
Give them an opportunity, setclear goals and standards.
Give them an opportunity tomake mistakes, coach them
through that and delegate and gofrom there.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
You're talking about that, the culture that's created
.
I still love the sports analogyof a minor league team up into
the big leagues Again, Damon.
So you've always got to belooking for new employees and
you mentioned the core values ofyour organization, how
important those are.
How do you maintain thatculture in your organization and
(25:29):
, frankly, what tips would youhave for other leaders who are
trying to maintain a highperforming culture on?
Speaker 1 (25:32):
their teams.
Similar to what I said about AI, john, I believe it always
starts at the top.
You know, if you have your corevalues and it's some acronym
and you throw it on the wall oryou throw in your signature
because you're a remote firstcompany and that's it, then
forget it.
I feel like, as a leader ofyour organization and your
(25:54):
senior team, they have to beliving those values all the time
, because as a leader, you knowthis, you're always on stage,
you're always on and your team'salways looking to you for how
to behave and how to react andhow to make decisions, and so I
think modeling that behavior,first and foremost, is most
important.
And number two is you can'tallow for toxic behavior.
(26:18):
I've worked with so manycustomers I'm sure you have too
where you have these topperformers who are just terrible
for your environment, and Ibelieve that if you allow that
to go on, the short-term windoesn't make up for the
long-term impact it's going tohave in your organization.
So if your values are teamworkand honesty and integrity,
(26:43):
whatever, then you need to leadby that, and if people aren't
following that, then maybe firsthire a coach like John and try
to coach him out of that and seeif it can be changed.
But if not, then you got tomake those bold decisions as a
leader and get rid of thosepeople to continue to grow your
company culture.
Because if you don't, if youdon't live by the words that you
(27:07):
say, that you want your cultureto be and model it from the top
, then you can't expecteverybody.
You want your culture to be andmodel it from the top, then you
can't expect everybody elsethroughout your organization to
do so either.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Damon, I appreciate that call out and I know I have
clients and I know people thatare listening.
I have team members that aredealing with that all the time
with regards to someone who maybe a top performer but they're
not exhibiting that the valuesexcuse me, the values that the
organization states and they canultimately end up leaving an
(27:38):
organization as a result of that.
You have to be very well awareand then again, those of you
listening as well as you look atthat growth journey, make sure
you're not one of those oneswho's creating something inside
of the culture even thoughyou're performing.
Don't let your ego get in theway of your behavior, because
you are always seen.
Integrity is something incharacter in terms of what's
(28:00):
happening.
It's so important to theorganization.
But I can't agree with youenough that the longer you let
someone like that stay in theorganization, the more damage
that can be done long-term.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
I made those mistakes over the years.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
I'm sure we all have Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
And at the time you think you're doing the right
thing.
But the second you cut baitit's like a thousand pounds off
everybody's shoulders and yourteam sees that.
So I just can't highlight itenough how important it is.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
So important.
Damon, two-time best-sellingauthor, the learn-it-all leader,
mindset traits and tools.
What do you got coming up inthe future?
What's next?
Speaker 1 (28:49):
What's next is continue down the path of what
we're going.
Especially, we just built outsome of our own technology for
the first time, which isexciting.
It's a learner portal whichwill add to the user experience
and extra resources, investingheavily in AI, like I mentioned,
around both customer experienceand also customer learning
(29:12):
experience, and just continue togrow and evolve.
I think one of the excitingthings about LearnIt is that we
focus a lot on soft skills,which you know, john, I hate
that term, but those are theskills.
If you look at the skills thatare most needed 2025 and beyond.
It is adaptability, it iscommunication, it is
communication, it is creativity,and those are like our sweet
(29:35):
spot of what we're doing.
So we're excited to help youknow future leaders thrive.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Damon, I appreciate that and I smile.
Yes, it is so true when I thinkabout the future of leadership
development.
You look, I mean the time whenwe're recording this we're right
coming up on an election andwhat we've been through as
communities, in our homes, inour states and in our country.
(30:05):
Frankly, that it's something,that those soft skills, when we
don't have them, become veryapparent and they result in
relationships that are damagedhopefully not for the long term,
but certainly can be damaged inthat time.
Damon, I've appreciated ourchat today.
How do folks stay in touch withyou and learn more about your
(30:26):
organization Learn it over 25years old.
You should be very proud ofthat accomplishment to have an
organization that's grown andsustained over that period of
time.
How do folks get in touch withyou and learn more?
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Well, I'm pretty active on LinkedIn, so find me
on LinkedIn at Damon Lemby.
I've got a podcast, the Learnit All podcast, which I'm super
excited about bringing on greatguests, so check it out there
and, of course, uh, learn itcom.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Excellent.
Well, put links to all thosethings in in the show notes that
we have.
Damon, again, I appreciate ourconversation.
I'm going to give you the lastword, and it's the question that
I ask all of my guests as well.
I'm going to give you abillboard.
Put it up there in SanFrancisco, somewhere in terms of
where folks want to see it, orin your area, and you can put
any message that you want to onthat billboard.
What's the message that you puton there and why?
Speaker 1 (31:17):
Well, it was going to be.
Great leaders aren't born ormade, they're in the making.
But since we've talked about itso much, john, I'm going to
pivot to saying buildingtomorrow's, building future,
great leaders.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
We need great leaders .
We have such a void that'sgoing on right now, so the work
that you're doing is soimportant.
Damon Lemby, again thank youfor being a guest on the
Uncommon Leader Podcast.
I know our listeners are goingto find value.
I wish you the best goingforward.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
Thanks, john, I appreciate being here.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
And that wraps up another episode of the Uncommon
Leader Podcast.
Thanks for tuning in today.
If you found value in thisepisode, I encourage you to
share it with your friends,colleagues or anyone else who
could benefit from the insightsand inspiration we've shared.
Also, if you have a moment, I'dgreatly appreciate if you could
leave a rating and review onyour favorite podcast platform.
Your feedback not only helps usto improve, but it also helps
(32:11):
others discover the podcast andjoin our growing community of
uncommon leaders.
Until next time, go and growchampions.
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