Mark introduces the topic of thought leadership and connects it directly with critical thinking
He reads the Wikipedia definition and then connects it to the profession area in our flywheel
Mark says anyone who self identifies as such is not a thought leader. The market needs to determine that
Jim jumps in and brings up Jordan Peterson. He then connects back to our flywheel and the other 4 areas of life
Jim then brings up AI and the timeliness of our topic
He differentiates between "Big" and "Small" AI. He suggests people will be increasingly creating small customized AI's for different use cases
Mark expresses some doubts about AI because on the back end is a human with bias
Mark brings Jordan Peterson back up
Jim brings up Joe Rogan and the View
Mark says he thinks to be a thought leader you have to also be a critical thinker. He wonders if people are being thoughtful and unbiased in their responses or are they simply emoting?
Mark brings up Bill Maher
Jim supports that Jordan Peterson is credentialed and experience in various sciences and topics. He separates the View as a business…entertainment
Mark gos a bit deeper into Peterson varied area of expertise
Jim recalls his live experience with Jordan and how diverse the audience was
Mark brings up JP's son and daughter
He thinks JP was never intending to be rich or famous and he struggled with fame for a time
Jim brings up Joe Biden and Mark shares his opinion:). Neither has much respect for Joe
Mark suggests that perhaps all thought leaders are polarizing at some level. He goes on to add to what makes a real thought leader and Jim agrees
Mark mentions Martin Luther King and Ghandi
Jim asks Mark for examples oh thought leaders who grew fast and then bottomed out and disappeared. Mark shares a couple of examples but can't remember names
Then Jim mentions Tony Robbins and Mark shares his opinion that he thinks TR is authentic but only for a certain audience (very troubled people)
The guys explore the cult like nature of TR's tribe and then suggest there is perhaps cult like vibes to all thought leader followers. His rugby teams, for instance
The guys joke about "self proclaimed" thought leaders versus authentic thought leaders
Jim suggests that they all are narcissistic to some degree
Mark brings up Jim's evolution from shy and reticent to engage to feeling lost obligated to share. Jim appreciates and expands. We have an obligation to share what we know that can help
They talk about the risk of sharing and exposing yourself to criticism
Jim reflects on his sales career and feels that everything is about persuasion
The evolution is largely based on the accumulation of expertise over time and confidence
Jim warns of the abuse of the power of persuasion
Mark chimes in with the abuses of power
He goes on to agree and then brings up celebrities and Robert Dinero…
Mark says real friends call bullshit on ego players like Dinero
Jim says it's not what you say as much as what you do. Great leaders model. Like fathers
Jim tells his story about his Japanese assistant and Japanese leadership culture which promotes leadership by action and modeling
Mark brings JP back into the discussion and talks about how he walks his talk
Thought leaders do what they say
Jim tells a story about his friend who adds that people will see how people react to you…something you'll never see. Mark recalls that good friends do that too…tell you how people react to you
Mark says if you have the ability to help others you are obligated to do so
Jim adds being careful about offering unsolicited advice and he says he's pulled back
Mark talks about learning how to not conclude, but to observe…discernment
Jim shares his experience last night at a conference where he saw people who were so busy and overwhelmed that they can't focus on the moment and/or are hypersensitive and teed up
Mark brings up his inner work with SOS and spirituality. Success comes from being bright and loving inside…the outside stuff comes when it's supposed to. No need to scramble and grind
