Description

Ken Coleman has been called America's Career Coach, he's a 3x Best-selling author (Get Clear Career Assessment: Find the Work You're Wired To Do, From Paycheck to Purpose, and The Proximity Principle), and Ramsey Solutions personality known for his podcast/show, Front Row Seat, with Ken Coleman. 

Since the age of 16, Ken had planned a political future that would have him running for office, but that dream slowly died—leaving him confused and lacking confidence about his professional direction. After some deep soul searching and life mapping, Ken decided to get on the path to broadcasting. He didn't have a degree or any experience. His head told him it was too late and too risky to start over and completely change direction at this point, but his heart kept pulling toward the vision he couldn't stop thinking about.

Thankfully, Ken's wife, Stacy, was all in, and they decided they were going to do whatever it took so he could pursue broadcasting. The clarity he had about the direction he was going gave him the confidence to move forward. Ken knew he was going to need to grow personally so he could advance professionally in uncharted waters.

Ken signed up for a six-week broadcast school with people 10 years younger than him, and he covered high school football games on a country station at 11 p.m. on Friday nights. He worked for free several hours a week at a sports-talk station in Atlanta. He fought through imposter syndrome and humbling moments to gain as much experience as possible. He took on public speaking gigs, introduced mimes and balloon artists at a community event, worked on podcasts . . . And when Ken says podcasts, he means back when podcasts weren't cool—and he was doing it from a closet-sized sound booth with no air conditioning in the Georgia heat. Glamorous, right?

Through strategic connections he had made along the way, Ken got an emcee role for a national leadership conference that gave him the opportunity to interview well-known athletes, leaders, authors and celebrities. One of the notable guests he interviewed was Dave Ramsey, which eventually led to their friendship and Ken joining the team at Ramsey Solutions. After three years of serving in multiple hosting roles, Ken got the chance to use all the career strategies he'd learned along the way to write three bestsellers and host a nationally syndicated radio show. And he still regularly co-hosts The Ramsey Show, the second-largest syndicated talk radio show in America. This has allowed Ken to fulfill the dream of broadcasting to encourage and equip people to be who they were born to be.

At this point in his journey, Ken has had the opportunity to interview three presidents, heads of state, some of the top names in sports and entertainment, and a host of other leaders. Between interviewing leaders and coaching over 10,000 people who are working to level up their careers, he's gained a unique perspective on how you can get better, move up, and lead well. Ken wants you to bring the best version of you to work. So pull up your chair and take a front row seat to conversations meant to change the trajectory of your life.

Takeaways:

1. Finding YOUR Path.  Ken points out that we all need to find the work – and life – we are meant to live by looking at our TALENTS, our PASSION, and our sense of MISSION.  As Ken says, this leads to intrinsic motivation and ultimately to the FLOW he talked about.  This should be the goal for all of us.  Like hitting that golf ball or baseball as Ken and I discussed – when you barely even feel it – we should aim to get our careers and lives on THAT path…and the resulting potential is truly limitless.
2. Self-awareness as a superpower.  We can't reach this FLOW state unless we take a good long look at ourselves.  Ken emphasizes figuring out how we're wired first, then building a career and life around that.  Clarity is critical.  Like Ken says – clarity creates confidence which is essential for us to fully pursue our own unique paths.
3. Building YOUR career plan.  For young people – or anybody looking to start a new career path – Ken provides a great way to establish the path and eliminate the fear that holds a lot of us back.  We need to go with the four questions Ken gave us – what do I need to learn?  What do I need to do to get there?  What will it cost?  And, finally, how long will it take?  You might like the answers, and you might hate them.  But, at least, as Ken points out – the fear that causes so many to be frozen or stuck, because they're overwhelmed by the unknown – will be gone.
4. The Proximity Principle.   Great summary from Ken for anybody looking to pursue a career path.  As Ken said, in order for me to do what I want to do, I need to be around people who are doing it, and the places where it is happening.  Basically, get in the game you are chasing by getting to know the people playing it and get on or at least close to the field where it is being played.  No time to stay in the stands – get in the game.  Great lesson for all of us.
5. General rules for when you get in the game.  So, when we do make the jump and get into the game, Ken makes it simple for us in terms of what our focus should be.  We need to focus on WHO we need and want to become (not what).  As Ken said, we do this by being likeable, coachable, reliable, adaptable, and honorable.  As Ken points out, none of these 5 things has anything to do with talent.  If we do these, the wins that need to come for us to advance will take care of themselves.
6. Contribution – the ultimate goal.  As Ken said, we, as humans, are wired with the desire to contribute.  This comes when we've followed the steps Ken provided for us – we've gotten clarity on who we are and how we're wired.  We've figured out the best path for us based on that clarity and have shown the confidence to pursue it.  Because it's aligned with who we are, we've had success and achievement.  Now we GET to contribute to those around us by sharing what we've gained…with our families, our communities, and beyond.  The PEACE that comes from this is simply priceless and aligns with all we've ever talked about on this show – this is part of the "why" when it comes to winning with class…

Links:

Website: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ken-coleman

Books: Get Clear Career Assessment: Find the Work You're Wired to Do; From Paycheck to Purpose, The Proximity Principle

Instagram, X, Tik Tok, FB: @kencoleman, Ken Coleman