“To me, being a successful engineer, but hating my life is not success,” explains Zach White, founder and CEO of Oasis of Courage, a fast growing company with unique proven coaching programs exclusively for engineers. He is also the host of The Happy Engineer Podcast. Today he discusses how to reach your oasis of courage as an authentic leader through lifestyle engineering.
When Zach started out his engineering career, he threw himself into his work, neglecting his other responsibilities like his relationship with his wife, his faith, and his family values. He was incredibly successful on paper, receiving many promotions and bonuses, but his personal life was suffering. When his wife requested a divorce, he realized he needed to change his mindset about what success actually means. He found immense power in opening up to his sister, telling the truth for the first time in ages, and being vulnerable enough to ask for help. Zach realized that he needed to focus on being present rather than worrying about the past or the future. Using what he learned from rebuilding his life, he created the concept of lifestyle engineering, which essentially means figuring out what you want for the future, why you want it, and then optimizing your life around those dreams.
Truly authentic leadership requires the courage to step out of your comfort zone. By opening yourself up and telling the truth, you create more freedom in your life.
Quotes:
“The power of being fully known, the power of telling the truth creates freedom.” (10:47-10:53 | Zach)
“It took a lot of courage and a lot of missteps along the way to get my life back on track and to grow into the ultimate success that I enjoy now.” (11:26-11:34 | Zach)
“Authenticity is not just about you. It really is in service to the other person because it allows you to guide and lead and create something where they can be at their best.” (17:35-17:48 | Zach)
“One of the saddest things in the world to me is knowing there's so many unhappy engineers.” (24:24-24:28 | Zach)
“I don't have any power to change the past or the future. The only power I have is to take action in the present. All of my power exists at this moment.” (26:12-26:24 | Zach)
“The more present we become, the more we move towards what we hope for. And the more you're making progress towards those hopes and dreams, the more excited you get about it, and the more likely you are to want to create a habit around presence.” (28:05-28:18 | Zach)
“To me, being a successful engineer but hating my life is not success.” (29:21-29:27 | Zach)
Links:
Mentioned in this episode:
Learn more about Mike Horne on Linkedin
Email Mike at mike@mike-horne.com
Find more about Leading People and Culture with Authenticity
Learn more about Zach White:
Website: https://www.oasisofcourage.com
Podcast Listen: https://plnk.to/the-happy-engineer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thezachwhite/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehappyengineerpodcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehappyengineerpodcast/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thehappyengineer
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