S2E18: Know Your Leadership Style with Robert Jordan

Robert Jordan is CEO of the Association of Interim Executives. He has been launching and growing companies and helping other entrepreneurs do the same for 20 years. His first company, Online Access, put him on Inc. magazine’s Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies. Online Access, the first Internet-coverage magazine in the world, ran for 10 years and after its sale Jordan launched RedFlash, an interim management team that specializes in corporate development work.

Robert Jordan is the author of How They Did It: Billion Dollar Insights from the Heart of America (www.HowTheyDidIt.com). He lives in Illinois.

https://www.rightleader.com/ is the site for the book  "Right Leader Right Time" that we discuss in this episode.
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4 Winning  FABS Leadership Styles

• Fixers need crisis and turn things around
• Artists see the world as a piece of clay to be molded
• Builders want to scale and dominate markets
• Strategists lead in complex organizations beyond their personal span of control

Reaching High Leadership Performance

• After looking at thousands of executives, their main challenge is trying to be all things to all people.
• The best leaders reject what is not for their best use.
•  Especially early in a career, it’s hard for people to reject work.
• The best leaders double down on what they do best.
• There is a lane for you!

Knowing Your Leadership Style

• Apply your style to the right situation
• https://www.rightleader.com/ has a self-assessment
• Share your wiring with your colleagues to increase the odds of successful collaboration!
• You’re not pigeonholed, though
• “Use every color” you have available
• And integrity underlies it all

Leadership Voyage
site: leadership.voyage
email: StartYourVoyage@gmail.com
youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadershipVoyage
linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonallenwick/, https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-voyage-podcast/
music: by Napoleon (napbak)
https://www.fiverr.com/napbak
voice: by Ayanna Gallant
www.ayannagallantVO.com
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Transcript

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Jason Wick: Welcome back everybody to another episode of leadership voyage. I am very happy to be with another guest today, and I am with Robert Jordan. Robert, it is great to meet you today.

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Robert Jordan: Jason is a pleasure to meet you. You have like the perfect voice for this, and I'm not saying that it's like, Oh, gee! You should be on a podcast, you you're beautiful, but you also have a great voice for this.

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Jason Wick: Yes, that's true, you are. And and what I've loved already in the few minutes before. I click the record butting button we've talked about how we both have Chicago ties. Yours much deeper than mine. We've talked about Monty Python and the Holy Grail, so maybe we'll see where we go with this one today, Robert. But it is a pleasure to be with you.

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Jason Wick: I am, really happy to have you today to talk about some of the stuff in your book from last year. I believe it was 2022. The book is called Right Leader. Right Time.

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Jason Wick: Discover your leadership style for a winning career and company.

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Jason Wick: I am holding it right here for everyone who won't see this on the audio. I'm holding the book. I've read it. I have listened to the audio book as well. It is a great read, and what I want to say real quick, although I want to hear you talk way more than me. What I wanted to say upfront. Here is what I love about this book, Robert.

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Jason Wick: Is that

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Jason Wick: it? Like took a bunch of stuff I think I knew to be true kind of sorta as pieces of information, and it put a construct around it. And I'm excited about that for others when they listen to this discussion and and ultimately check out the book. So

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Jason Wick: the construct here is for Fabs leadership styles in this book. Right, leader. Right time. Would you mind starting us off with a rundown. Of what are the 4 Fabs leadership styles?

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Robert Jordan: Sure, thanks, Jason. So we identified for what we call leadership. Styles style is a shorthand that a lot of leaders, especially if they're exceptional over the course of the careers, come to develop more of a system and a process and approach

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Robert Jordan: to how they do things, how they lead. And so we call that style. And we identified 4 winning styles which we call fixer, artist, builder, and strategist.

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Jason Wick: All right now. Do you have a favorite?

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Robert Jordan: Well, my own, of course. But you know, as we write in the book, if you are

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Robert Jordan: dominantly wired, or to style to your peril.

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Robert Jordan: because you cannot stop. Just just the quick definition of artist is artist energy sees the world as a black canvas or a piece of collective embolden. Now, that's wonderful for acts of creation, but unmitigated, if that's all you had on your team, you know. God help you! Because, you, any successful team requires all of these energies.

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Jason Wick: Yeah. And I think that's a great point. And and I, I might ask some questions on that. A little bit later on. But you know

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Jason Wick: something I'm not sure that we all are considering is what is our our style or our approach, as you said

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Jason Wick: in a particular situation or in a particular context, and that is really where this book helped me. Personally, I normally, when I have this show, I don't normally speak personally like this too much. But it was like, Wow, you know, you think about a person's style and a lot of times we're just kind of jamming that

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Jason Wick: into any given situation. Do you think that's kind of common, uncommon? What? What? What's your take on that

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Robert Jordan: you you're identifying the core of why we did the book. Because.

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Robert Jordan: you know, first of all, nobody does a business book, because they're going to make money at it.

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Robert Jordan: The book itself that that's an impossibility. granted a lot of people, you know. Yes, we do business books, because it's going to go help us in business.

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Robert Jordan: The motivator here was that because we run a company called it or makes X, and over the past decade we've been approached by over 8,000 executives from 50 countries

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Robert Jordan: in the process of what we do, which is, we're a matchmaker between organizations and rock star executives. you, you know, when thousands of people shop, you have to develop systems. And so there was ranking, scoring, screening.

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Robert Jordan: the majority of those executives we would describe as having careers and leadership journeys that are okay. but not great.

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Robert Jordan: the vast majority. And if you had to PIN it down to one thing well, Jason, I would say, trying to be all things to all people.

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Robert Jordan: As soon as I say that everyone listening is going to be like, Oh, yeah, I would never do that.

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Robert Jordan: Okay.

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Robert Jordan: okay, I got you. But when we looked at exceptional leaders, the top one or 2 those folks were exhibiting a high degree of style process. Approach one of these 4 labels, fixer, artist, builder, strategist. And to get to that high point requires

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Robert Jordan: incredible discipline and pain. It's painful because

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Robert Jordan: what we, what we we're finding in the book is exceptional. Leaders tend to reject more

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Robert Jordan: of what is not for their highest and best use. and especially early on in career that is harder and possible for most people to do.

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Robert Jordan: and we just

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Jason Wick: no go ahead.

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Robert Jordan: Well, I have. I have daughters, they they're they're in their twenties and I can tell you as as the as the the source of support. those girls are not rejecting a whole lot of jobs when their father says, get off. Dad's payroll.

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Robert Jordan: yeah. And it. It's just something that you become more confident and accomplished in your career that you start to discover. Oh, I like day more than B, and I like see more than D, and

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Robert Jordan: and you start listening to this still, small voice in you which is telling you. This is where you need to go. Not all these other things. But this thing.

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Jason Wick: Yeah, that's

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Jason Wick: that's a really interesting comment. yeah, it does seem. Often people are looking for opportunities, and and they're not necessarily factoring in what they're best at. It seems like they just need something something to get to, or another job, or what whatever. But I I want to kind of, you know. Repeat it a little bit, and and and emphasize this a little bit.

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Jason Wick: But you're saying what you've identified if I hear you right. Is that the most exceptional leaders that you've you've talked to and studied?

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Jason Wick: They they are much more common, they're more often rejecting opportunities. Is that right?

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Robert Jordan: Yes, that's correct. So they're they're injecting. They tend to reject more, and they tend to double down

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Robert Jordan: within one particular style. and you will. You can see this.

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Robert Jordan: You know, we could give you we we can go through examples, Jason, you know, as we're recording this, a a crypto platform called Ft. X. Blew up about 6 months ago

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Robert Jordan: the court appointed a CEO that CEO of surprise, not surprisingly where was the before Ft. X. He was in.

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Robert Jordan: He didn't create the mess. He was cleaning it up, that is, that's that man's mission, and in life is to go run into burning buildings. That's the definition of fixer. Yeah, I was gonna say, and then this. But in your book it's the fixer. And if I remember correctly, I think you said about about half, maybe a little under half of leaders, identify as

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Jason Wick: fixers as their primary or their preferred style. If you will.

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Robert Jordan: that it's it's it's an adrenaline rush. and someone who is wired dominant for fixer.

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Robert Jordan: fixer style needs.

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Robert Jordan: They need crisis.

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Robert Jordan: You. You put a fixer into a steady state

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Jason Wick: business to be maintained, and they will start working. And that was one of the quotes that I had written down from the book was something like that. It was. If you put a fixer into the wrong situation, they will break things so that they can fix them.

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Jason Wick: And I want anyone listening to kind of process that for a second, because I actually think once again putting this construct around the experiences and the personalities of the people we know and ourselves could help explain why we've been in certain circumstances that we've been in our careers. I'm reading this book going.

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Jason Wick: Oh, my gosh, yeah, I remember that person who took over the department I was in at that point in time, and all they want to do is X, y, and Z, when the situation didn't suggest we necessarily needed X, y, and Z. That's where I find this so enlightening.

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Jason Wick: So before we move forward any more with some more stuff. I was wondering you talked a little bit about the artist and seeing the world as a blank canvas. Could you just tell us a little bit more. Oh, we just talked about fixers for a second. Could you tell us a little bit about the other 2 just short recaps. What's a builder and what's a strategist

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Robert Jordan: builder? Well, first of all, let's acknowledge any one in any organization wants to be a builder. We're all builders.

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Robert Jordan: We need something a little more specific, which is the energy which takes the small, the Mason team product service division client relationship. And this driven to scale. This is the person that has market domination on the brain.

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Robert Jordan: Okay, that is what we mean by builder. This is a person who is expert at putting process system. People product in place. What you tend to see with a lot of builders who are great at that is, when they achieve

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Robert Jordan: that market dominance. You tend to see them get a little bored.

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Robert Jordan: They're going to probably move on to the next company project, division, or whatever where they get to do it all over again. It's it's it's a

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Robert Jordan: similar energy to fixer when fixers work is done and a company is turned around. The best thing they can do is to leave move on to the next crisis. Maybe it's within the same company we know veteran fixers, and in global organizations where they will keep moving to trouble spots around the world.

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Robert Jordan: builder, is that that same kind of energy? Some cases you'll see. Builder.

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Robert Jordan: you know. I I occasionally go to Boston, and there's a bakery there that I love, and they are dominant in Boston, in the suburbs. They crush it.

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Robert Jordan: They're not in Chicago. not not Chicago. Don't think they're in Colorado. If the heart of that bakery

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Robert Jordan: there is a builder that said, not only we are going to be the best, but we are going to crush it in in in Boston and surrounding areas.

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Jason Wick: Okay? And then, how about the strategist

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Robert Jordan: strategist is the leader of scale strategist, the is the leader within complex or vast organization that is beyond. You know, Steven Company have this phrase, personal span of control. Strategist is the expert leader beyond personal span of control.

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Robert Jordan: You tend to see that fixer artist builder, these energies. you know you've you've got a team of 5, 1050, maybe 100 people. You all know each other

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Robert Jordan: and and work it's done, and at least in part it is based on trust in that relationship that you are all gonna you're all going to be singing together.

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Robert Jordan: Strategist does not have that luxury, not completely. They have trusting relationships in the organization, but by definition they cannot know everyone there. It's simply too large. And yet how do you succeed beyond all your competitors?

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Robert Jordan: So, Jason, you're in Colorado. beautiful state. We've been talking about some of the Colorado folks who were interviewed in the book, including Dr. Janine Davidson, who is now the President of Metropolitan State University.

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Robert Jordan: Prior to that she was the Under Secretary of the Department of Defense. and

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Robert Jordan: it's just fascinating to hear Janine describe. You know, when you have more than a million people in an organization. I can't. What is leading the navy like.

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Robert Jordan: And it's just to hear the language of systems of systems and the that you are.

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Robert Jordan: You're working on a scale that feels so minute. But at the same point you know that a change you make

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Robert Jordan: can't over time be vast

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Robert Jordan: very different language

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Robert Jordan: from the other styles strategist languages. It's you will always hear about mentorship and mentoring gratitude to the organization. Loyalty, longevity, cross training, cross functionality.

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Robert Jordan: You don't hear that from fixer, artist, builder.

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Robert Jordan: fixer, you hear about velocity builder. You hear about market and product and

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Robert Jordan: and domination.

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Robert Jordan: You know, artists. You're going hearing about relevance. And and this urge, this need to create and to be heard, and and to bring product to fruition.

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Jason Wick: Wonderful explanations. Robert. Thank you, and also for kind of calling out some of the

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Jason Wick: true uniqueness of the strategist there at scale that I I just personally, I can't even wrap my head around it. I'm sure someone out there listening can. because they are a strategist. But I certainly cannot. Now, if I am, I'm sitting here listening to our conversation. And I'm going. Okay. This all sounds interesting. I'm I'm starting to to track a little bit with what? What you're all talking about.

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Jason Wick: and of course we always start to think of ourselves. First, right? Okay. People are listening. What am I? What am I? I think I'm a this. I think I'm a that. What is the first step for someone who is trying to explore

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Jason Wick: who they are, what their their dominant style or approach might be?

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Robert Jordan: That's a good question. The first thing is, I hope, I think. that someone you know one of your listeners to simply hear these descriptions can get some insight. Second thing is, we did launch a free assessment called Fax leadership assessment@rightleader.com.

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Robert Jordan: And it's about 3 min.

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Robert Jordan: Yeah. I took it. It was a few minutes. Not very long. Do you mind sharing with everybody? What! What did you having to come out for, you

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Jason Wick: Called me a fixer?

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Robert Jordan: And do you agree with that?

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Jason Wick: I do agree with that? I also think that after reading the book that I felt some some pull towards Builder. But I think Fixer is easily the dominant style for me. Yeah, so. And I'm asking you, Jason, because this is for for your listeners who take it. It's the final question, the assessment. It comes back and it'll say it'll say congratulations. Looks like you've got fixer builder

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Robert Jordan: wiring. And I'll say, did we get it right.

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Robert Jordan: because we are continuing to collect data.

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Robert Jordan: and we're fine. But what I would say is so for somebody who takes it. they get a result. The thing we suggest everybody is, go back inside your organization, or what people don't know, you would just tell them.

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Robert Jordan: Tell them, because if you required a little piece of of your own authenticity.

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Robert Jordan: your own who you are here.

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Robert Jordan: share it because our premise is that teams that get to know each other better, that become more engaged and authentic and genuine

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Robert Jordan: work with each other in relationship with each other, will perform better. that that your confidence goes up, knowing more about your own wiring, and to know about your colleagues and their wiring

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Robert Jordan: means. There's a greater chance

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Robert Jordan: that your collaboration is going to succeed.

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Robert Jordan: that, knowing you people are going to know. Oh, this kind of project came up.

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Robert Jordan: Jason's got it wrong with this ball.

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Robert Jordan: and the Flip side is that you know for somebody else. It's like, Wait a minute. This thing here, this really needs to go to John.

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Robert Jordan: John's the guy for us. That's gonna he's gonna win with this project more than I would.

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Robert Jordan: That is our promise.

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Jason Wick: I love the premise. And and I love that. Yeah. This idea that you know, sharing something that's speaking authentically to you, and and who you think is what you identify as part of you, sharing it with those you work with.

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Jason Wick: helps the connection, and it also, I love this because it goes back to the idea of what you were saying where some of the most excellent leaders here are.

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Jason Wick: or, you know, saying no to certain opportunities, finding the right opportunities, and I find a good thread there when it just comes to the operational work, who all of us are doing in organizations. What's the context of this thing that I'm being asked to do? Maybe our instincts are

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Jason Wick: my manager, my boss. Whoever that is is telling me I have to do this, so I just do it. But maybe there's another conversation to be had which could help everyone, including yourself, be effective.

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Jason Wick: and and I love it right. Maybe this situation isn't the best one for me. But over there was it John? Or hypothetical John, whatever you said the name was they they are doing something different, and maybe we should swap. And I just love the idea of this kind of discussion around it. And again.

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Jason Wick: things that I think we all kind of. Maybe we. We smell right metaphorically, but

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Jason Wick: but we don't really know how to put the words on it or talk about it. And that is what I really, really like about this book. Listen to this book, people. Okay, we go read the book or listen to this book. So I took the assessment.

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Jason Wick: I I I come up with a result. You ask me if you got it right? You're still refining it. But we'll just say, Okay, I know more about myself.

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Jason Wick: We've talked about a little bit that we can do with that information which is great. How about some like, maybe gotcha questions here?

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Jason Wick: How can What was I going to ask you?

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Jason Wick: What are some of the challenges that you have seen when it comes to realistically matching the right leader to the right role.

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Robert Jordan: Well, you could do all of the metrics in the world that you want.

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Robert Jordan: they all that there is this elusive thing around our own integrity.

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Robert Jordan: That is is hard other than the experience to see how a a leader behaves. I've learned from long experience

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Robert Jordan: that you can think we're all holding to some common standard of high integrity. That is not the case to just go read any news story you want, and you're going to see samples of people behaving badly. so

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Robert Jordan: so you know, I might have been I forget who the the finger might have been. Peter Drocker, who was saying, you you train for competence, you you fire for lack of integrity. You know, you could train people in terms of skills. But

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Robert Jordan: but if but if you're behaving without integrity well, then, you just find my, but you just violated the court?

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Robert Jordan: 10 to what it is to to be a leader.

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Robert Jordan: And this is this is common. I mean, one of my friends was telling me about

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Robert Jordan: He works in the public company, and the CEO did an All hands. Several 1,000 people

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Robert Jordan: on a zoom call.

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and he was exhorting everyone. Covid was ending to get back. We've all got to get back into the office and the and the plants.

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Robert Jordan: Well, every last me and woman on the call new that this CEO lived 2,000 miles away from the headquarters, and he did not come in

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Robert Jordan: to the office every day. How does he? How does that person get off telling everyone they have to come in? Where, by definition, this is a person lacking integrity. Would you follow that person into battle.

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Robert Jordan: No, so not surprising that organization went bankrupt.

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Jason Wick: That literally literally went into bankruptcy.

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Robert Jordan: Like, nice job.

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Jason Wick: I love that added element of the what you can teach and train, you know. And then this, this distinction of around the integrity. yeah, you you can't really teach a moral compass, I suppose I think that, or if you can, it's not worth the energy in in in the business setting, is it?

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Jason Wick:  So we talk about these 4 leadership styles. We talk about the different contexts in which we can apply them. We've talked about maybe what

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Jason Wick: separates the highest performers from others.

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Jason Wick: One thing that you know, I was wondering about going into this book, Robert, which I wonder personally, anytime I go into any type of

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Jason Wick: personality assessment. We'll just say it kind of like that?

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Jason Wick: Am I just stuck in this one archetype.

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Jason Wick: or can I be all for, or what's your opinion on that? Because I know that in some cases you go. Oh, I can switch, and I can be a chameleon, or or whatever thing, right? And others, maybe I feel too rigidly typecast. Right? What's your take from all the studying and and learning you've done? Are we just kind of stuck in this archetype? Or what do you think

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Robert Jordan: we would never want to pigeon hole anybody into anything

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Robert Jordan: we acquainted it. We looked at it like DNA.

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Robert Jordan: You know, they're just, for they're called nucleotides. They're proteins. There's just 4 proteins that make up all of biological life just for.

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Robert Jordan: But this infinite variety and variation is making up, whether it's your pet turtle, your dog, your Aunt Mary, you or me.

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Robert Jordan: You are that variation. And so I believe that your particular leadership style is as unique as a fingerprint. I do. I don't think.

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Robert Jordan: especially for the work we do, because we have been in contact with so many thousands of executives.

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Robert Jordan: I had this uninformed idea in the beginning of doing it like I was Ceos, the CEO, to see, you know, whatever they're all interchangeable.

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Robert Jordan: They're not interchangeable at all. Absolutely not the uniqueness of each individual comes through and

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Robert Jordan: and their own individual leadership style. So your way, Jason, of being fixer, builder, artist, or strateg is going to be different from mine.

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Robert Jordan: it! It's it's off camera here. But I have had a full set of crayola, the big box crayons, not because I'm using them every day, but because it's a reminder, use all the callers. And so I think that for all of us.

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Robert Jordan: what we're called on in roles and working in roles, in leadership is use every caller

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Robert Jordan: you have available, and and depending upon what you are called upon to do. different of your abilities are going to come out.

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Robert Jordan: I would still say, given that you have a strong suit.

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Robert Jordan: and you know it, and the more you go into your career you are determining that link. There is a way.

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Robert Jordan: and it's clear to the rest of us, even if it's not clearly you. And by the point where you've stacked up a lot of years.

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Robert Jordan: Successful careers become very obvious to everybody around you. It's like, Oh, that's Jason. That's what he did.

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Robert Jordan: because you kept on making these decisions. I wanted A, not B. Oh, here I want to see, not D, and this is.

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Robert Jordan: you know, you kept on listening more and more to this core of who you are, what you have to do. And it's not everything

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Robert Jordan: that's. And this is the the the

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Jason Wick: is the opposite of this.

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Jason Wick: Yeah, I love that. That's that's great. So use all the colors

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Jason Wick: but also recognize that we have. We have preferences right? Or we have some natural strengths about us and

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Jason Wick: others. See that as you're saying, anyway?

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Jason Wick: no, that's great. And and I want to say it for for the twelfth time. you know, people really really check this out? I think it can really unleash some some great situational awareness for so many of us. And Robert, while I have you. I couldn't resist asking a kind of a couple of broader questions of you, since I have you on the line that are not necessarily about the book per se, but just about leadership in general, someone who's been around so many leaders over time.

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Jason Wick: what do you think are the most essential qualities of a good leader.

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Robert Jordan: Well, I don't want to sound like a broken record, Jason, but I

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Robert Jordan: I there is no getting away from integrity. you know, leader, there isn't. And you know, we identified these 4 different styles. But we we wrote about these 3 commonalities as well. One of them is this superior ability to double down, to keep focusing on a unique

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Robert Jordan: style? One is the superior ability to collaborate. because when you're more confident.

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Robert Jordan: it is easier to acknowledge every and and allow everybody else their own genius. And the third is the way we phrase is, we said, great leaders don't hide.

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Robert Jordan: They do not hide.

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Robert Jordan: And we see this a lot of the world. I'm fine. We put an example of a book about Wells Fargo, a former CEO, who was called in front of Congress because.

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Robert Jordan: Wells Fargo had fraudulently created several 1 million accounts that shouldn't really have existed, and the CEO was was called the task for this cross-selling that went crazy.

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Robert Jordan: And you know, in front of Congress, he said. Well. it wasn't me.

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Robert Jordan: It was the Board.

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Robert Jordan: Seriously. You think anyone's going to believe the Board of directors is involved in the in a major corporation set the tactics of marketing? We just saw it again. You know the failure of Silicon Valley Bank

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Robert Jordan: the CEO of the bank was called in front of Congress.

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Robert Jordan: He was yes. he was at. Was there anything you could have done leading up to this?

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Robert Jordan: No, no, we said they. They really.

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Robert Jordan: it's really nothing apparent.

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Jason Wick: interesting. Yeah, okay, that transplants are revolves around accountability. And

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Robert Jordan: and you you know what none of us are flawless. We all make mistakes.

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Robert Jordan: We all my list from today, I mean, you know, and and I think you know, Brett Brown is to be credited for her work on vulnerability.

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Robert Jordan: Because,

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Robert Jordan: yeah, I'm convinced for a lot of leaders in public life, who screw up that if they simply acknowledged it. it did not deflect and and dig the whole even deeper.

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Robert Jordan: that in most cases they would be forgiven. to simply acknowledge and apologize, and to set a new intention. Yeah, no, that's a great point.

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Jason Wick: No thanks for saying that, and

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Jason Wick: so kind to recap some of the qualities you brought up is

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Jason Wick: our integrity and ability to collaborate. Don't hide, be accountable definitely. Qualities that

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Jason Wick: that do are for great are great. I'll be okay. Qualities that great leaders possess and transcend

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Jason Wick: pretty much, many, many roles. When when you you know, I I wrote this question down in advance for you. But but I hadn't really thought about the concept of you being being an an artist in this. And so I think it's a perfect question.

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Jason Wick: What do you see as the you know? What are your thoughts on the future of leadership? What do you see on that blank canvas of what's to come.

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Robert Jordan: Well,

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Robert Jordan: you know, I'll I'll say something. I think that is

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Robert Jordan: very prevalent, you know, in the news I think that AI

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Robert Jordan: artificial intelligence is going to play for all of us. I'm not saying that it's a zoom

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Robert Jordan: some kind of doom saying like, Oh, my God, look out, leaders!

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Robert Jordan: I think a new tool is

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Robert Jordan: has shown up here. and I think it's going

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Robert Jordan: to inform our better leadership.

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Robert Jordan: I think it's going to become more and more personal and informed.

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Robert Jordan: I just had a nice little boost.

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Robert Jordan: I put on a treasure hunt for my family on a vacation.

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Robert Jordan: and I did it as a secret. It was a surprise for 12 people

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Robert Jordan: and

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Robert Jordan: because it was a secret and a surprise. I had no one to rely on, and I've never done a treasure month before. so I was completely blocked.

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Robert Jordan: This is what what do we do? Where do I send them. Where does this put whatever like this down to one? I thought. let's go ask Chat Gpt.

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Robert Jordan: So I typed in. I said, this is the address treasure hunt. 10 clues go.

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Robert Jordan: and within a second I got back.

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Robert Jordan: No, I didn't use it per se, but it was as if I had a conversation with somebody, and just said, Oh, my God, I'm so blocked! What do I do?

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Robert Jordan: And this this other?

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Robert Jordan: You know it's it's a machine. I'm not giving it. I'm not granting it full intelligence here. But I don't block me.

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Jason Wick: Yeah. Something came up with some ideas. And I was like, Okay, now I'm I'm no longer blocked, Bingo. And so I would say, you know, for for all of us, in terms of using the tools available to us, all the callers

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Robert Jordan: on your palette. you have a new tool, and it's going to help you and it it's going to be AI.

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Jason Wick: I love that point of view on it, too, Robert. I look at this as an opportunity, not a threat. Look it as it a tool, and to enhance and what a great example, a personal example.

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Jason Wick: It unblocked you. It was. It was an idea that led to your next idea, or whatever right and and that's great. What a what an advantage we all have in our fingertips! And I will say from talking to many people this year for this show AI is building more momentum in terms of it. Just kind of coming up in the discussions right in 2,022.

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Jason Wick: I don't remember if it even came up. But in 2,023, I think it's now come up already, maybe 4 times. So yeah, thanks for sharing that before we wrap things up and and provide you the opportunity to let everybody know where they can go to check everything out.

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Jason Wick: I ask every guest on this program, what is something that you've learned recently.

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Robert Jordan: Well,

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Robert Jordan: I did an exercise for myself recently, and I called it shots on goal.

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Robert Jordan: And what I did was I wrote down I I tried to look back

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Robert Jordan: and and look at my career, and to say, When did I make a major decision like taking a job moving

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Robert Jordan: that started investing in companies and investment. And I called each one a shot on goal. Okay.

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Robert Jordan: And I'm still in the process of learning from analyzing my own shots on goal.

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Robert Jordan: I will share with you, Jason, that I identified 60 shots on goal.

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Robert Jordan: Look, I've been involved in a lot of. It's not like I've had a career. It's like, Oh, I worked at the post office for 30 years. Yeah, that's not me. So, having been involved in a bunch of businesses.

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Robert Jordan: It was it? It's it's been a great thought exercise for myself. I'd welcome anybody. Listening starts to a little spreadsheet and look at your own shots on goal.

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Robert Jordan: because I I then wanted to apply a filter to say, Okay, what were those decisions

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Robert Jordan: points in the journey where I had a leap. Or you know the quote the in the Tenx.

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Robert Jordan: What what was the thing? Where I gave up an 80% to focus on a 20% of something. And

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Robert Jordan: you know, what did I learn from that? I'm going to tell you. One of the overall things I keep learning and reminding myself, is that any moment. at any moment for any of us

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Robert Jordan: there's really only 2 states. There's either love or there's fear

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Robert Jordan: whatever is going on. We humans work. In some ways we're not all that complicated. We are either wired for love or we are we for fear?

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Jason Wick: Yeah, great insight and thanks for sharing all of that.

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Jason Wick: Robert. I really appreciate that.

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Jason Wick: So for those interested in in what you've got to say and what you've studied and what you've written, and all of those things, or maybe they are. they're an interim executive themselves. What? What would you like to send them?

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Robert Jordan: I could be reached an interim. exec.com.

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Jason Wick: Okay. Simple as that.

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Jason Wick: Robert Jordan. My pleasure to talk to you today. Thanks for sparing a few minutes. really nice to meet you today and have a wonderful rest of the day.

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Robert Jordan: Thank you, Jason. It's been a pleasure I'm honored.