00:00:00 Thanks for joining us on episode 746 of the inspired stewardship podcast. I'm Braden Douglas. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent and your treasures to live out. Your calling. Having the ability to lead with impact is key. And one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this,
00:00:27 the inspired stewardship podcast with my friend, Scott Mader. The people in your life. You need to count on people, whether it's your employees, your customers, your congregation, your volunteers, friends, family, whatever it is, you absolutely need people. And I talk about it. There's there's three people and or three kind of positions that I think are really important for everybody.
00:01:01 The first one is a guard. Welcome, and thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcasts. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true color. In the inspired stewardship podcast, you will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.
00:01:38 And today's interview with Braden Douglas, Brighton shares with you, his definition of leadership. And I also talk with you about how developing a team can help you make an impact as a leader. And Brayden also talks with you about how you can be a mentor and find a mentor for yourself. One reason I like to bring you great interviews. Like the one you're going to hear today is because of the power in learning from others.
00:02:04 Another great way to learn from others is through reading books. But if you're like most people today, you find it hard to find the time to sit down and read. And that's why today's podcast is brought to you by audible, go to inspired stewardship.com/audible to sign up and you can get a 30 day free trial. There's over 180,000 titles to choose from.
00:02:29 And instead of reading, you can listen your way to learn from some of the greatest minds out there. That's inspired stewardship.com/audible to get your free trial and listen to great books. The same way you're listening to this podcast. Brighton Douglas is the founder of crew marketing partners. One of the fastest growing marketing and creative agencies in Canada founded in 2007 crew has won numerous awards for their service and brand leadership.
00:02:59 Braden started his career in brand management over at Frito lay and Procter and gamble. But throughout his life, his passion has been helping leaders make a significant impact in the world. He currently volunteers with leader impact as a member of the global advisory board, where he plays a key role in mentoring leaders, speaking and developing content. Braden lives outside of Vancouver,
00:03:24 British Columbia with his wife and two kids. Welcome to the show Brighton. Yeah, thanks Scott. It's a pleasure to be here. So the last few weeks we've talked a lot about, you know, leadership becoming a leader of impact what that looks like. But I, but I haven't asked you the, the obvious question, which is how do you actually define that word leadership?
00:03:49 I've always liked John Maxwell's finishing of a leader. You know, leadership is about influence. And so whether you are influencing somebody on like a, as a friend, if you have, you know, the higher positions that you were in, you know, the greater, the influence that you're going to have. So even, you know, if you get into,
00:04:11 well, one would argue that say president of the United States, it's like, well, you're going to have a lot of influence. What you say is going to get scrutinized. It's going to matter. And, but even if you're an, you know, even if you're at home taking care of your family, you're going to have influence over them. You're gonna have influence over your friends.
00:04:30 And so for me, leadership is about influence and impact is about influence that inspires. And I think that's the, that for me is where it takes influence because you can have influence for good or for bad, but I want to see people use that influence to inspire others for perpetual positive behavior. And it's like, you're taking it, you're depositing something in somebody's life and it keeps going.
00:04:55 So like that old mantra, you know, give a man a fish, feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime. And for me, giving of the fish is, is, is helping, right? That's kinda like, Hey, you're helping, you're being generous. That's great. But teaching them to fish is about impact is about you're taking the time and it's going to take a lot more time than just giving the fish.
00:05:18 You're investing into them. You're teaching them a skill set that now they're going to be able to then pass on and really develop a better life because of your influence with them. And I think that's, that's how I want people to kind of think about impact. Hmm. Awesome. And just by the way, so, you know, John Maxwell is actually a mentor of mine who I've,
00:05:41 I've gotten to attend many trainings with them, including in very small groups where they're joining, just like, you know, 40 or 50 of us in the room with him and talked to him. One-on-one a little bit, so He's great. I love his, like, he's got a, such a good radio voice. You could listen to him. I he's another One on my list of,
00:05:58 I handed him the phone book. Just read that for a while. I'll listen. It's okay. And, and he's yeah, again, going back to external internal, because I've gotten to see him in environments where he wasn't quote onstage, as far as I can tell, he's the same person on stage off stage, you know, hadn't done the pool,
00:06:19 whatever, he's the same guy, you know, he really is. So that's, that's one of the things I think that makes him so such an influential leader. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, no, he's great. So part of the purpose of a leader is to recognize that, you know, we're talking about making an impact, but as a leader,
00:06:39 you can't do that alone. It takes team. It takes other people, it takes building that around you. So for leaders, what does that look like? What does that mean to be trying to develop a team, to make a bigger impact? Yeah. And I think this idea, you know, really started from, you know, I was watching this documentary of this leader who owned a whole bunch of car dealerships in Michigan.
00:07:05 And he was going through this, like going through his house and looking at everything. And you know, it's a huge, it's a mansion. It's amazing. And he came to this like statue and a fountain and he said, you know, everything in my house, this is my favorite piece. And it was a statue of the self-made man. And he was saying,
00:07:23 you know, I didn't come from a lot, but, but man, I just, I worked hard. I did it. And I feel like I embody this self-made man. And I remember thinking to myself, wow, he is really missing it. And if he thinks that he alone really helped him be successful, like how wrong is he as a leader?
00:07:45 And what would have been like to be, you know, working for him, if somebody was just very narcissistic in the way that they thought, because no one succeeds alone, nobody, you need people in your life. You need to count on people. Whether it's your employees, your customers, your congregation, your volunteers, friends, family, whatever it is,
00:08:06 you absolutely need people. And I talk about there's, there's three people and or three kind of positions that I think are really important for everybody. The first one is a guard and this is somebody in your life that knows you intimately. Well, they, they love you unconditionally and they have your best interest. And for some people that's their spouse. Other people might be a family member,
00:08:31 a best friend, somebody that protects you as a leader because leaders, you sometimes you need that. You need that. Somebody that's going to call you out. That's going to keep you accountable. That's going to say, Hey, you're working too hard. Or Hey, Braden, put down your phone, like play with us. You know? Like,
00:08:48 like pay attention. I'm like, Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. You need that person. That's going to really guard you and, and help you. The second one is that you need a pusher and I kind of use this, this, this vision of if you've ever been to Japan, they have these, these pushers at the subway that makes sure everybody gets in.
00:09:06 Cause it's really full. They said pre COVID obviously, cause now you look at it. You're like, Oh, that's really unsanitary. But you know, they would have, they they're like, you know, very politely just kind of make sure everybody's in and give you a little shot of if you needed it because the doors are closing. And I think that there's this pusher in,
00:09:22 in your life is somebody that pushes you to step out, to do those things. And sometimes it, for me, it was, I went to El Salvador in the early two thousands with leader impact. And we were meeting with a whole bunch of different business leaders and you know, young leaders. And I was, and the next day there was a university event and the Nathan Hildebrand,
00:09:46 who was the coordinator of the trip. He said, Braden, I want you to speak at it tomorrow. And I was like, I'm not ready. I'm going to go speak at this. Like, this is crazy. Like you didn't give me any time. Like I'm going to embarrass myself and embarrass you. And he's like, no, no,
00:09:59 you can do it. We believe in you. And I might go great. And so I remember just preparing and just getting my heart is just going crazy and, and, and you do it. And it, and it was a huge growth thing and it was awesome. And it turned out really well. And, and at the end, you're like,
00:10:16 why was I so afraid in the first place? Like, and, and I think you need those people who see potential in others and they give you that push. And we need people to push us. And, and we also need to push others because we all need that kind of role. And the third one is a board and a board is a nonprofit organization,
00:10:38 you know, should be helping direct and steer and give feedback and be objective for you. And for a lot of leaders, they, they don't have a board in their life. They, you know, they have like their, you know, they have their guard and they might have some certain people, but they need people around them. So that's why even leader impact has groups of leaders that meet.
00:11:00 And there's thousands of groups around the world of leaders who want to live a life of impact and they help each other and they learn together they're growing, but they also know each other well enough to push them into guard them and to help them see themselves differently and to keep them accountable and, and to say, Hey, you know, Scott, I think you've got more potential than you realize.
00:11:21 I want to help you. I want you to really realize that make an impact. How can we support you? Or, and it's just feels like you get together. And it's like a group of people that are like, they're on mission. And it's like, okay, let's really make this happen. And I think that's really those three areas. So you need a guard,
00:11:38 you need to push her in a board So that board can take, I mean, you know, different forms for different people, but I, and John Matt, again, going back to John Maxwell, he talks about your inner circle, which has kind of that same relationship, that idea of who are the people that you bring into your room and you allow to have that intimate access,
00:11:56 both directions, you know, you're, you're, you know, their life, they know your life and you're building each other up, you know, it can be a mastermind. It can be a small group of some type it can be. But, but having that, that inter accountability I think is vital. And I agree with you. I think that's probably the single,
00:12:14 that's probably the one that's missing in most of our lives. Yeah. Yeah. It's very true. And it's hard to cultivate and some of these are seasons of it where I've been in part of, you know, groups that they kind of fizzle out a little bit and you feel like, Oh man, we failed a little bit. But now that you're older,
00:12:27 I realized that no, like life ebbs and flows, you know, but there's always going to be those people that, you know, that are going to be able to really build into. And I think that it's easy as a leader to surround yourself with the S people or you don't get into the hard questions, but I think you really need people that are going to call you out on your stuff,
00:12:46 you know, regardless of your position, I don't care if you're the CEO of, of whatever organization it's like, you've got personal, you got a spiritual life. You got, you know, there's some things because I don't want you to fail and I'm going to, I'm going to help you win. So do you have any advice for people if they're kind of looking at that board position and thinking about what that looks like for them or how they could start finding those people?
00:13:10 Well, you know what, there's, this is kind of where there's lots of different organizations that are around there and there's like, you know, C, 12, and sometimes even, you know, some churches have these set up or there's YPO, which is young president's organization or Vistige, or, you know, even leader impact. That's kind of where I've been involved in for decades where it's about this,
00:13:31 you know, a small group it's intentional. And what I love about leader impact is that it's all about your professional personal and your spiritual life, which the groups that I've been a part of and they don't, they either address professional really well, or they might integrate personal really well. Or some groups just really talk about the spiritual life really well, but to really mix all three together in a very intentional way is,
00:13:54 is rare. And that's why I think, you know, for people to check out leader impact.com and see if it's see if it's the right fit for you. But I would recommend that you need to find something don't, don't just let, let it go into, you know, you know, on an a to do list that never gets done, like really make it an intentional say to,
00:14:12 you know, I really want this to happen in my life and I guarantee you, you will love the results. So that also brings up the question of, of mentorship. You know, that's, again, a topic that comes up over and over again, when you look at leadership, would you go read the leadership literature or they, you know,
00:14:32 they talk about having mentors, they talk about being a mentor, what that looks like, but can you talk a little bit about in your view, you know, what does mentorship mean and, and how can leaders think about this the right way? Yeah. You know what I would say, it's funny, the idea of mentorship comes up a lot.
00:14:50 And so we did a survey when I wrote the book, we did a survey to 500 leaders and asked them all the different questions on your professional, personal, inner, spiritual life. And we had a question on mentorship and in there less than 10% of the leaders had a mentor that was committed to them in all three areas. And most of them,
00:15:09 the 32% had a mentor in their workplace, whether it was a supervisor or a direct report, but that was the highest 32%. And that was in a work context. And I think this idea of mentor, and I think we kind of have this vision of, Oh, I would love to just sit at the feet of Warren buffet and just get all his little oodles of wisdom.
00:15:31 And he would just build into me and, and stuff. And I think that this concept is, I think it doesn't always happen. And I think for those of you who have a mentor in a formal relationship, that's a really special, that's a really special thing. And I think it's rare and so really treasure it. But for some of you that don't have that,
00:15:52 I think, I think it's okay for me, it's about having many different people in your life that you are being intentional to reach out to and asking them questions. And I think this is where, what I have found is that there are people that are older, that are wise, that, that I seek out and I say, Hey, I'd love to,
00:16:12 I'd love to go for lunch. Love to ask you some questions, just, you know, on life and leadership. And I would say 95% of the time, they're always willing most, most older people know that they're getting near the end, whether it's of the end of their career, their lives or whatever. And they want to impart stuff, but they just need people to really,
00:16:32 to lead the relationship. They're not going to lead it for you. They're not going to be like, Hey, Scott, I'd like to mentor you now. And we're going to sit down every month and I'm going to ask you these questions. I think you have to go to them and say, Hey, I really respect your opinion. I'd love to be able to,
00:16:46 you know, do this maybe once a month, that you're open to that. And I, and then you have a list of questions that you can go through with them and say, am I missing anything? What should I be thinking about? But you really have to do direct it from them. And I think that's, I think a misconception for a lot of people,
00:17:02 even younger people is that, yeah, I want to mentor, but they don't, you have to take the initiative and that, and it has to be reciprocated and it's not. And some people just don't have the time for it sometimes. And sometimes we ask them like, Hey, I'm really looking for a mentor. And it's like, Oh, that seems like a lot of commitment and leaders don't have a lot of time,
00:17:19 so sure. I'd like to help you, but I, I can't invest in you in that way. So I think you just have to really say, Hey, just try to find it. Don't try to force anything there, but really take the initiative, lead the conversation, lead the stuff. And if it becomes recurring great. And if it doesn't,
00:17:37 then that's okay too, from, in some, some universities, some churches, some organizations, they have formal mentor programs, then they can work out really well. But I do think it's something that they to really care about you professionally, personally, and spiritually, if you're going to get the most out of it. Yeah. And, and I love that idea of,
00:17:58 and it's something I've done in my professional life of, you know, showing up with a list of questions and then, and then actually showing the folks how you put their answers into action, you know, because that's the worst thing in the world as a mentor is to have people say, well, you know, help me, help me, help me,
00:18:14 help me. And then they don't do anything, not even get around to it. It's like, well, so much for that, you know, that's the quickest way to kill a mentoring relationship in my opinion is to not actually do the, you know, cause that it, and it is hard. You have, I mean, you actually have to work at it to,
00:18:29 to create a mentor relationship. It doesn't just come easily. No, you know, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. And I think sometimes you have to be ready to be happy to be mentored and to be able to, you know, practically put things in, you know, into place. You're right. It's a great point.
00:18:49 You can follow Brighton Douglas on Instagram as Braden J Douglas, or find him on his website@bradendouglas.com. Of course I'll have links to those in the show notes. He's also active on LinkedIn as Braden Douglas. And you can find out more about the book@bradendouglas.com forward slash book Braden. Is there anything else you'd like to share with the listener? You know, I think that,
00:19:15 you know, even as we've been talking, you know, through these times, I'm, I really want every listener to realize that they have a purpose and a passion that can really make a difference in people's lives. And if they think about people first and differently, it's not just about big data. It's not just about stats. It's about, these are all,
00:19:39 those are real people with real lives that they can have an influence on that for me is, you know, is where it can start. And that's the movement that, you know, that I really hope really takes off as leaders becoming leaders of impact because they can really change the world. And I hope that they do Awesome. Thanks so much for coming on the show.
00:19:59 We've loved having you here and again, check out the book leader impact, check out Brayden. Hopefully if you get a chance to hear her speak or attend one of these seminars, that would be fantastic. And thanks so much for coming on the show. That's awesome. Thanks Scott, for having me Thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast as a subscriber and listener,
00:20:31 we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoyed this episode, please, please do us a favor. Go over to stewardship.com/itunes rate. All one word iTunes rate. It'll take you through how to leave a rating and review and how to make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so that you can get every episode as it comes out in your feed until next time,
00:21:09 invest your time, your talent and your treasures, develop your influence and impact the world..