1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,020 Robert Plank: Marketer of the Day episode 7023, pillars of 2 00:00:04,020 --> 00:00:07,620 change lead others to lead themselves using your open 3 00:00:07,620 --> 00:00:15,180 playbook with Larry Dodd. Hey everyone, and welcome back to 4 00:00:15,180 --> 00:00:19,080 the marketer of the day podcast. We are here with Larry Dodd, who 5 00:00:19,080 --> 00:00:22,520 has a company called Open playbook, and you can find out 6 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:28,160 all about that at open dash playbook.com. And Larry is a 7 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:32,120 keynote speaker. He's a trainer and he's a consultant. And Larry 8 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:35,600 combines the very best of what your team has to contribute the 9 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:39,020 appropriate management tools for where you are, and trains you to 10 00:00:39,020 --> 00:00:42,100 master them, taking you from where you are to where you need 11 00:00:42,100 --> 00:00:46,060 to go, building a results driven people first culture that 12 00:00:46,060 --> 00:00:49,000 consistently exceeds expectations. So Larry, glad to 13 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:49,960 be talking to you today. 14 00:00:50,740 --> 00:00:51,940 Larry Dodd: Well, it's great to be here. 15 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:56,140 Robert Plank: Oh, well, fantastic. And so as far as what 16 00:00:56,140 --> 00:00:58,360 it is that you do and what you've created and what makes 17 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:02,220 you stand out and unique, what do you do differently? What 18 00:01:02,220 --> 00:01:06,300 problem do you solve that other people can't or don't solve? 19 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:09,900 Larry Dodd: Well, when you think about how organizations make 20 00:01:09,900 --> 00:01:13,320 change, we typically think of things like spreadsheets and 21 00:01:13,320 --> 00:01:15,960 flow charts and process and all of those things, and they're 22 00:01:15,960 --> 00:01:20,040 critical elements to the change process. But the most important 23 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:23,960 element that underlies those. The foundational part is 24 00:01:23,960 --> 00:01:29,300 building the relationship that supports the trust required to 25 00:01:29,300 --> 00:01:34,520 make those make those things execute. And there's really a 26 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,880 three step process that I developed with open playbook 27 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:42,520 that makes for effective leadership and driving those 28 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:43,420 processes. 29 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:47,260 Robert Plank: So when you say effective leadership, what does 30 00:01:47,260 --> 00:01:50,740 that look like exactly? And when you're helping out these 31 00:01:50,740 --> 00:01:53,860 organizations, lead more effectively and take them 32 00:01:53,860 --> 00:01:57,700 through your three step process. What is that before picture 33 00:01:57,700 --> 00:02:01,920 like? What? What is the mess that exists without your magic. 34 00:02:02,940 --> 00:02:05,400 Larry Dodd: Well, I think a lot of times within the business 35 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:09,720 arena, the pressure to make change is very high, and the and 36 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:14,160 the consequence of not making change also is high. But really, 37 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:17,460 change is a process that should be occurring every day. And as 38 00:02:17,460 --> 00:02:21,560 leaders, we're charged with leading people. And the first 39 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,020 thing that we need to do, the first pillar within the open 40 00:02:24,020 --> 00:02:27,440 playbook methodology, is you have to know yourself. You have 41 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:31,280 to do your homework so that you understand what you bring to the 42 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:34,340 game, what skills, talents and temperaments that you start with 43 00:02:34,700 --> 00:02:39,020 and that you have to offer that nobody else can offer. Once you 44 00:02:39,020 --> 00:02:41,860 realize and have done your homework and have a good handle 45 00:02:41,860 --> 00:02:45,280 on that, then you can start to think about the change process, 46 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:48,220 and you really get to the second pillar, which is the playbook 47 00:02:48,220 --> 00:02:51,580 that you're going to create and you're going to develop. And 48 00:02:51,580 --> 00:02:54,880 what that is, is basically being able to see other people 49 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:58,420 clearly, because you have a really clear handle on yourself 50 00:02:58,420 --> 00:03:01,560 and what you have to offer. So that if you build the Change 51 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:05,580 plan and you build the people who will execute it, you have a 52 00:03:05,580 --> 00:03:09,300 good idea what you need and how to develop it. And then finally, 53 00:03:09,300 --> 00:03:13,380 the third pillar, and probably the most important, is that if 54 00:03:13,380 --> 00:03:16,860 you build the playbook that you give away, and when I say give 55 00:03:16,860 --> 00:03:20,160 away the playbook, it really is critical that you think about, 56 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:23,120 who are you going to give the playbook away to the playbook of 57 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:28,400 you and why, and and, and specifically, if you make your 58 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:31,400 choices right, you make your choices wisely, and you build 59 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:35,060 the right people, your change initiative will far outstrip 60 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:37,820 whatever vision you have for success. 61 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:41,320 Robert Plank: Fantastic. So you're saying that these three 62 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:44,680 pillars include, number one, knowing yourself, knowing what 63 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:48,280 skills you start with. Number two, know what playbook that you 64 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,220 need to create, because once you've seen yourself, now you 65 00:03:51,220 --> 00:03:54,820 can see others people's skills clearly. And then number three, 66 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:59,440 you have that playbook that you give away to specific people and 67 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:02,160 for specific reasons. And so just to make sure that we're 68 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:05,280 really getting a grasp on this here, when you say in that first 69 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:08,280 pillar, where you know yourself and you know what skills that 70 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:10,920 you have, you take that inventory. What do people 71 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:14,100 usually come up with when they're figuring out what 72 00:04:14,100 --> 00:04:16,920 existing skills they happen? What are the important ones? 73 00:04:18,060 --> 00:04:20,420 Larry Dodd: Well, it's really interesting, because I refer to 74 00:04:20,420 --> 00:04:22,880 that as the playbook that we start with, the playbook that 75 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:27,380 we're given. And sometimes we find that we're right on track. 76 00:04:27,380 --> 00:04:31,340 We're working right within that swim lane of where our skills 77 00:04:31,340 --> 00:04:34,520 and talents are. Things are natural, they're authentic, and 78 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:37,580 we're on our game. But many times, and this was the case 79 00:04:37,580 --> 00:04:41,020 with me, especially you, you find it through frustration 80 00:04:41,020 --> 00:04:44,020 things aren't working, and you can't understand why they're not 81 00:04:44,020 --> 00:04:48,520 working. And so it leads to that searching to find out what your 82 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:50,860 temperaments are. What do you lean to? Are you a people 83 00:04:50,860 --> 00:04:53,980 person? Do you like to look at facts and figures? How do you 84 00:04:53,980 --> 00:04:57,580 take in your information? What do you think about when you see 85 00:04:57,580 --> 00:05:01,020 yourself and other people? Do you see? Strength, or do you see 86 00:05:01,020 --> 00:05:04,440 weakness? Those are some of the things that really start to 87 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:08,280 develop with an eye towards moving towards finding that 88 00:05:08,280 --> 00:05:12,180 inherent strength that we all have to offer and which is 89 00:05:12,180 --> 00:05:13,560 different in each one of us, 90 00:05:14,580 --> 00:05:17,520 Robert Plank: and as far as you personally with you, figuring 91 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:21,740 out your like, your learning style and these frustrations and 92 00:05:21,740 --> 00:05:25,580 these temperaments, what did you land on as far as your inherent 93 00:05:25,580 --> 00:05:26,120 strength? 94 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:29,780 Larry Dodd: Well, my inherent strengths were making change, 95 00:05:29,780 --> 00:05:34,100 and really, more specifically than that, building people and 96 00:05:34,100 --> 00:05:38,780 being able to see the strength in people that was required in a 97 00:05:38,780 --> 00:05:44,740 given situation, in a change initiative, some people are 98 00:05:44,740 --> 00:05:47,860 going to be very well suited for a particular change, and other 99 00:05:47,860 --> 00:05:52,240 people, maybe not so much. And the key to success often is 100 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:55,960 getting the right people in the right place with the right 101 00:05:55,960 --> 00:06:01,920 attitude at the right time. And so in my case, I was working in 102 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:06,000 the accounting arena, oddly enough, and became very 103 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,900 frustrated when the change stopped and the growth stopped. 104 00:06:10,140 --> 00:06:13,560 So much so that led me to visiting with a career 105 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:17,520 counselor, at my request, seriously contemplating a career 106 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:22,400 change. What fell out of that, or came out of that is an 107 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:26,360 understanding of, in this case, my Myers, Briggs, and I realized 108 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:30,200 my temperaments were 180 degrees, the opposite way of 109 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:34,700 most typical accountants. Now you might think that ended my 110 00:06:34,700 --> 00:06:38,180 accounting career, and it could have, but actually, what 111 00:06:38,180 --> 00:06:42,160 happened was this, it led me to a wonderful niche within that 112 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:47,920 arena where not many accounting and finance professionals have 113 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:51,220 the temperament and the aptitude and the appetite for change that 114 00:06:51,220 --> 00:06:56,680 I did, and it led me to a wonderful career within a niche 115 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:58,300 that not many people had to offer. 116 00:06:59,380 --> 00:07:02,280 Robert Plank: Fantastic and you always hear about niching down 117 00:07:02,280 --> 00:07:06,480 or in becoming more of a specialist. That way, when 118 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:10,500 someone has a really, a really specific problem, then they know 119 00:07:10,500 --> 00:07:14,460 that you're just the right person to solve that, and then 120 00:07:14,460 --> 00:07:18,840 you can charge more and more importantly, be a better fit for 121 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:21,320 what you do. And I think that maybe some people out there, 122 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:24,740 whether they're a business owner or in a career, maybe things 123 00:07:24,740 --> 00:07:28,040 just aren't quite right. It's almost there, but maybe they're 124 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:32,120 in a similar situation as you, where the change and the growth 125 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:35,240 stopped, or the Myers Briggs doesn't quite fit. And that's 126 00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:37,820 not necessarily a bad thing, right? Maybe it is. Maybe it 127 00:07:37,820 --> 00:07:41,740 could be a bad thing if we know there's a problem and ignore it, 128 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,380 but it's it turned out to be a good thing in your case, because 129 00:07:44,380 --> 00:07:48,940 it allowed you to evolve into this other career and not just 130 00:07:48,940 --> 00:07:49,840 remain stagnant. 131 00:07:51,100 --> 00:07:53,140 Larry Dodd: Well, that's absolutely right. And really, if 132 00:07:53,140 --> 00:07:56,440 you think about it, it's a call to action. Something has to 133 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:01,860 change here. Something has to be refocused on or readdressed. And 134 00:08:01,860 --> 00:08:06,960 once you find that space that is only you that you have to offer, 135 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:10,500 it gives you a level of authenticity that's subtractive 136 00:08:10,500 --> 00:08:14,940 in the right situation, and it gives you the confidence to know 137 00:08:14,940 --> 00:08:18,660 exactly what you're looking for, so that you're the good fit for 138 00:08:18,660 --> 00:08:22,160 the position you're looking for at the time you're looking for 139 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:22,340 it. 140 00:08:23,660 --> 00:08:27,320 Robert Plank: And in your case, you say you went from being a 141 00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:30,920 regular accountant like everyone else, into like I've seen that 142 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:34,340 you've worked with Major League Baseball, you've gotten into 143 00:08:34,340 --> 00:08:38,900 speaking. So what have you as a result of all this grown into? 144 00:08:40,580 --> 00:08:43,420 Larry Dodd: Well, it's very interesting, but it led directly 145 00:08:43,420 --> 00:08:47,920 to an experience in Major League Baseball with a team that had 146 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:51,880 just been acquired, and they were looking for change, and I 147 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:55,120 was the person who was hired to provide it. Had I not done the 148 00:08:55,120 --> 00:09:00,340 groundwork and the homework shortly before that, experience 149 00:09:00,340 --> 00:09:03,120 or opportunity, I might never have found it or had the 150 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:07,380 confidence to step up and take it that, ironically enough, led 151 00:09:07,380 --> 00:09:11,400 to the training arena and teaching people how to speak in 152 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:14,820 front of a group, but more importantly, how to interact and 153 00:09:14,820 --> 00:09:19,620 lead in a positive way through people. So it just became a 154 00:09:19,620 --> 00:09:23,420 natural progression of one logical step after the next, 155 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:27,020 built on the confidence of knowing myself just a little bit 156 00:09:27,020 --> 00:09:27,320 better. 157 00:09:28,820 --> 00:09:31,100 Robert Plank: I love it and solving problems along the way. 158 00:09:31,100 --> 00:09:35,720 And so when you are helping these organizations make their 159 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:39,440 change and lead better and interact with a group and all 160 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:44,860 those other things, do you see organizations or people going 161 00:09:44,860 --> 00:09:48,760 wrong in the same way again and again? Is there a low hanging 162 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:52,600 fruit here, or is there, like a big number one mistake that you 163 00:09:52,660 --> 00:09:54,880 immediately see most of the time when you're doing this 164 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:55,600 consulting? 165 00:09:56,800 --> 00:09:59,560 Larry Dodd: Well, I think that. I think that the biggest 166 00:09:59,560 --> 00:10:03,420 mistake. Stake that I see is really the lack of self 167 00:10:03,420 --> 00:10:07,140 knowledge and the lack of an orientation to develop people 168 00:10:07,140 --> 00:10:12,480 based on trust. And when we can see other people clearly and 169 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:16,560 authentically, we can generally see talents and skills that they 170 00:10:16,560 --> 00:10:19,140 may not know, they may not acknowledge, or they may be 171 00:10:19,140 --> 00:10:22,880 afraid of, the closer we get to that natural, authentic state of 172 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:27,560 who we are, the more frightening it becomes. And so by building a 173 00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:30,920 foundation of trust that lies underneath the spreadsheets, it 174 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:34,340 lies underneath the flow charts, it lies underneath the change 175 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:38,000 now, you find the people to develop when you hear those 176 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:42,520 whispers of change, you can coax them out and help people to 177 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:46,180 start to see the potential that they really have to offer. This 178 00:10:46,180 --> 00:10:49,540 is the type of thinking and thought process that I try to 179 00:10:49,540 --> 00:10:53,380 take leaders through, because leaders really leadership is 180 00:10:53,380 --> 00:10:58,300 about leading people. And so those are the changes that we 181 00:10:58,300 --> 00:11:01,800 see frequently. Those are the changes I look for and after a 182 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:04,620 while, you'll find those changes actually start looking for you. 183 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:09,900 Robert Plank: And how does that happen? Just from getting into 184 00:11:09,900 --> 00:11:12,960 the practice of this and making it a habit to be aware of these 185 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:16,320 things like, how does it, how does it take on a life of its 186 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:16,740 own? 187 00:11:17,820 --> 00:11:20,480 Larry Dodd: Well, so imagine your interactions with people 188 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:25,100 and inside, outside the business world, when we're not confident. 189 00:11:25,580 --> 00:11:29,900 It it. It causes people to not be confident in us. When we're 190 00:11:29,900 --> 00:11:34,940 not authentic. It causes people to question us and be concerned, 191 00:11:34,940 --> 00:11:38,840 and it doesn't bring their best self but when we can come with a 192 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:41,620 level of self knowledge where we know who we are, we know what we 193 00:11:41,620 --> 00:11:45,820 have to offer, and we are able to demonstrate that through an 194 00:11:45,820 --> 00:11:49,960 increased competence and a strength in building 195 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:54,340 relationships, then that coaxes out of other people and allows 196 00:11:54,340 --> 00:11:57,700 them to be able to start to express those type of strengths 197 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:00,660 and abilities that we now can develop 198 00:12:01,920 --> 00:12:05,640 Robert Plank: fantastic so have that self awareness, know 199 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:09,360 ourselves better, be more authentic, that way. We have 200 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:13,080 that increased confidence, and then everything just seems 201 00:12:13,140 --> 00:12:16,620 better, seems more like it's quite right. And so with all of 202 00:12:16,620 --> 00:12:19,560 your different travels and all your different consulting, and 203 00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:21,980 all the different like types of people that you've helped and 204 00:12:21,980 --> 00:12:26,480 different problems you solved. Does any particular story or 205 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:30,500 case study come to mind to really explain to us some kind 206 00:12:30,500 --> 00:12:33,080 of change that you've made here, and any fun stories like that? 207 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:38,120 Larry Dodd: Well, it's interesting. I had a years ago. 208 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:41,740 I had a gentleman that worked for me, and he actually started 209 00:12:41,740 --> 00:12:46,840 as a senior accountant, and I noticed that each time I asked 210 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:50,860 the question, he was the one who responded to me. Now he may not 211 00:12:50,860 --> 00:12:53,800 have responded directly, but he held the answers to the 212 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:56,860 questions that we were asking. We're in a rapidly changing 213 00:12:56,860 --> 00:13:00,960 environment. And so I watched him, and I listened, and I 214 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:06,600 started to build a relationship with Him, and as as our change 215 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:09,120 initiative developed, there became opportunities for him to 216 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:12,780 grow. And so as I found out more of his story and listened for 217 00:13:12,780 --> 00:13:15,840 more of his strengths, those opportunities became really 218 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:19,920 consistent and congruent with with what he had to offer. Now 219 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:23,000 that the the surprise in all of it was he didn't know that he 220 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:27,680 wasn't he didn't know the extent of how strong he really was. And 221 00:13:27,680 --> 00:13:31,340 I was able to develop him. And really he developed himself, but 222 00:13:31,340 --> 00:13:35,960 together, we were able to move him to positions within the 223 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:39,080 organization up within a period of less than two years. Very 224 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:40,160 successfully, I might add, 225 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:43,900 Robert Plank: super cool. And the common thread I'm hearing in 226 00:13:43,900 --> 00:13:49,240 our conversations so far is that we all have skills or positive 227 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:52,300 attributes that even we ourselves are not aware of, and 228 00:13:52,300 --> 00:13:56,260 we sometimes need those outside people looking in from an 229 00:13:56,260 --> 00:13:59,440 objective point of view to to know about the things that you 230 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:02,400 said earlier, something about how there are things that we're 231 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:05,520 sometimes not aware of, or we don't acknowledge, or we're 232 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:08,580 afraid of acting on those things, and it might take 233 00:14:08,580 --> 00:14:13,860 someone else coaxing that out of us. And so speaking to that, you 234 00:14:13,860 --> 00:14:17,880 said that those, these three pillars are are number one, the 235 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:21,140 playbook that you're given. And then the second step in the 236 00:14:21,140 --> 00:14:25,280 process here is to create a playbook. So what does that 237 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:28,040 mean? Exactly like, what? What is the playbook is? Are we 238 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:32,720 talking like an actual like a document, or what does this 239 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:34,520 playbook look like and what's in it? 240 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:38,300 Larry Dodd: Well? So playbook can start with the document. But 241 00:14:38,300 --> 00:14:42,520 really the concept of developing a playbook centers around 242 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:46,420 developing, first of all, whatever obvious change you're 243 00:14:46,420 --> 00:14:49,420 looking to make, and being really clear with people about 244 00:14:49,420 --> 00:14:52,540 where you're going to go, how you're going to get there, and 245 00:14:52,540 --> 00:14:56,560 what it looks like when you get there. But more importantly is 246 00:14:56,560 --> 00:15:00,780 that you demonstrate by your actions and by your. Own self 247 00:15:00,780 --> 00:15:04,980 growth, that you're developing yourself as you're developing 248 00:15:04,980 --> 00:15:08,040 other people. And what I mean by developing other people is 249 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:10,620 you're asking them to change, to do something different, to 250 00:15:10,620 --> 00:15:14,880 embrace a new idea or a new way of doing things. We all get in 251 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:19,500 ruts on how we approach things, and we get comfortable. And when 252 00:15:19,500 --> 00:15:24,200 we get comfortable, change becomes very frightening. And so 253 00:15:24,260 --> 00:15:28,700 if I as a leader in developing my own playbook and improving 254 00:15:28,700 --> 00:15:33,380 myself and leading by example, at the same time, I'm 255 00:15:33,380 --> 00:15:36,800 encouraging others to move towards a goal that can be very 256 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:41,860 frightening, then they're going to be stronger and more likely 257 00:15:41,860 --> 00:15:44,920 to go in the direction that I want them to and that they need 258 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:49,780 to really now, in terms of the playbook that you develop, I 259 00:15:49,780 --> 00:15:52,840 know that if I'm pushing a change initiative or creating a 260 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:55,480 change initiative and driving driving it through an 261 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:58,780 organization and working with people, I know that if I create 262 00:15:58,780 --> 00:16:02,700 a vision for where I want To be when we finish, I'm going to 263 00:16:02,700 --> 00:16:06,660 create it as vivid as possible, make it as alive as possible. 264 00:16:07,140 --> 00:16:10,560 And I also know that if when we finish the change initiative, it 265 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:17,280 looks exactly like I painted it, I will fail. You know why? As a 266 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:20,960 leader, when I'm developing a playbook and I'm developing the 267 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:24,560 people who lead it. I'm developing people who will make 268 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:28,100 it better. They will make the process better than I could have 269 00:16:28,100 --> 00:16:33,260 imagined it. Because the idea is that we start to unleash what 270 00:16:33,260 --> 00:16:36,980 they know about the business and what they know have the offer to 271 00:16:36,980 --> 00:16:40,480 take it further than I can possibly see it. That's what I 272 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:44,140 measure success by, and it resides in their court and not 273 00:16:44,140 --> 00:16:44,560 mine. 274 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:47,740 Robert Plank: Well, you're making a lot of sense here, and 275 00:16:47,740 --> 00:16:52,060 it all seems to tie back to the these concepts you're mentioning 276 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:57,100 of trust and teamwork and not trying to do it all yourself. 277 00:16:57,100 --> 00:17:01,980 And I love that that's your your phrase, or you're saying there 278 00:17:01,980 --> 00:17:07,440 that you you want the end result to be better and slightly 279 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:10,140 different than the vision that you plan, because other people 280 00:17:10,140 --> 00:17:14,040 are involved with it. Other people figured out things that 281 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:17,460 maybe you hadn't, uh, anticipated in a good way. And 282 00:17:17,460 --> 00:17:22,040 so when you make this playbook, is this a a permanent thing. Or 283 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:25,340 do you make like? You develop like, different playbooks 284 00:17:25,340 --> 00:17:28,580 throughout your career or your lifetime? Or like, what kind of 285 00:17:28,580 --> 00:17:31,340 timeline are we talking about here? When you say that you have 286 00:17:31,340 --> 00:17:35,000 this, this vision and these goals, what length the span of 287 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:36,980 time is it, or is it different for everybody? 288 00:17:38,119 --> 00:17:43,719 Larry Dodd: Well, it's actually a living thing. It becomes a way 289 00:17:43,719 --> 00:17:48,279 that you do your business of being you and and what I mean by 290 00:17:48,279 --> 00:17:51,159 that is we might have a change initiative that's a six month 291 00:17:51,159 --> 00:17:54,519 initiative take a system conversion that requires people 292 00:17:54,519 --> 00:17:57,219 to really rethink how the organization works from the 293 00:17:57,219 --> 00:18:02,399 ground up. Well, in six months, that change initiative might be 294 00:18:02,399 --> 00:18:05,639 complete, but really, when you're changing the culture of 295 00:18:05,639 --> 00:18:08,819 an organization, you're trying to change the heartbeat of that 296 00:18:08,819 --> 00:18:12,359 organization and the way that people think about how they do 297 00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:15,179 their job, how they interact with each other, how they view 298 00:18:15,179 --> 00:18:18,419 change, and how they initiate change. You're really trying to 299 00:18:18,419 --> 00:18:22,399 move the needle organization, so not so much as a destination. 300 00:18:22,759 --> 00:18:26,059 This is a journey. This is a path. And this is something that 301 00:18:26,059 --> 00:18:30,139 allows us to continually think about how we improve things, how 302 00:18:30,139 --> 00:18:33,679 we make them better, how we build people, who we build, and 303 00:18:33,679 --> 00:18:34,159 why, 304 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:39,500 Robert Plank: and when you're talking about changing the 305 00:18:39,500 --> 00:18:42,640 company culture and making everyone work together better. 306 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:47,080 As far as the end results, the benefits of this. Does anything 307 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:51,580 come to mind, as far as tangible things or something that really 308 00:18:51,580 --> 00:18:55,900 stands out to you as something that shows, as far as people 309 00:18:55,900 --> 00:18:58,600 getting along better, or like, you know what's what's a really 310 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:02,520 good benefit for people using this playbook versus not using 311 00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:02,760 it. 312 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:06,720 Larry Dodd: Well, it's constant innovation, because if you stand 313 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:09,300 still, really, by definition, you're going to be falling 314 00:19:09,300 --> 00:19:12,000 behind. Business is a competitive environment. It's 315 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:15,600 supposed to be and so that challenges every one of us to be 316 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:18,240 a little bit better today than we were yesterday, and a little 317 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:21,980 bit better tomorrow than we are today. That requires creative 318 00:19:21,980 --> 00:19:25,160 thought. It requires continuous improvement, which is a term 319 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:29,540 that has been used in many arenas, but none of those things 320 00:19:29,540 --> 00:19:33,200 can truly happen. It's like a muscle. If you're a weightlifter 321 00:19:33,260 --> 00:19:36,200 and you're lifting weights, it's a process. You do it over time, 322 00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:40,360 and pretty soon it becomes your way of doing things. And that 323 00:19:40,360 --> 00:19:44,020 culture can apply to a computer system that leads to something 324 00:19:44,020 --> 00:19:46,540 different, that leads to something different. And the 325 00:19:46,540 --> 00:19:51,280 idea is that the organization always is moving forward because 326 00:19:51,340 --> 00:19:54,340 it's building a culture that supports that, that values that, 327 00:19:54,340 --> 00:19:57,280 that drives that, and it builds people they see that this is a 328 00:19:57,280 --> 00:19:57,940 fit for me 329 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:04,260 Robert Plank: and as. As people implementing this. Do you people 330 00:20:04,260 --> 00:20:10,140 get stuck in kind of the same, the same traps and get making 331 00:20:10,140 --> 00:20:14,460 this happen? Or you would you anticipate if people you know 332 00:20:14,460 --> 00:20:18,660 inventory their skills and make this playbook? Do you see people 333 00:20:18,660 --> 00:20:21,740 getting stuck anywhere along the way, or are there certain like, 334 00:20:21,740 --> 00:20:24,080 do's and don'ts or gotchas to watch out for? 335 00:20:25,460 --> 00:20:27,560 Larry Dodd: Well, there's a few places. I think one place we all 336 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:32,960 get stuck is in, you know, what should I be doing? What title 337 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:38,420 should I have? What's what? What should I be doing in other 338 00:20:38,420 --> 00:20:41,800 people's eyes, rather than saying, really, where do my true 339 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:44,980 strength and abilities lie? What do I really have to offer? And 340 00:20:44,980 --> 00:20:49,120 how do I advance that? And how do I trust that process? I think 341 00:20:49,120 --> 00:20:51,940 a lot of us get stuck there. I will say, in the probably the 342 00:20:51,940 --> 00:20:55,660 first eight years of my career, I struggled with those exact 343 00:20:55,660 --> 00:20:58,660 issues, and it was only through the pain of self discovery that 344 00:20:58,660 --> 00:21:00,040 it moved me to the next level. 345 00:21:01,119 --> 00:21:03,779 Robert Plank: And how did you get that self discovery was it? 346 00:21:03,839 --> 00:21:08,399 Was it a matter of constantly revisiting that, or like having 347 00:21:08,399 --> 00:21:11,759 the belief that it would work out? Or just, how did you break 348 00:21:11,759 --> 00:21:17,579 through from being frustrated to making this change thing work? 349 00:21:18,900 --> 00:21:21,680 Larry Dodd: Well, in my case, it was true frustration. I was at a 350 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:26,420 point where I was so frustrated that I was making everybody 351 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:31,100 unhappy myself and everybody that worked with me. And it got 352 00:21:31,100 --> 00:21:34,820 to a point where I knew I couldn't continue and under the 353 00:21:34,820 --> 00:21:41,500 same same circumstances and survive. And so I sought out 354 00:21:41,500 --> 00:21:44,620 help. I went and went and saw a career counselor, did some work. 355 00:21:45,340 --> 00:21:49,840 And honestly, when I took, in my case, the Myers Briggs, when I 356 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:52,420 took the Myers Briggs, it was really like somebody turned a 357 00:21:52,420 --> 00:21:56,860 light on in a dark room, and I totally got it. And I it, it 358 00:21:56,860 --> 00:22:00,120 didn't give me the answers. They gave me better questions. The 359 00:22:00,120 --> 00:22:03,240 ironic thing around that is going from the point of complete 360 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:07,200 frustration to really now having a light inhibition. The biggest 361 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:10,080 break of my career followed within months, and that was the 362 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:14,460 major league baseball team opportunity in which I was 363 00:22:14,460 --> 00:22:17,280 really charged, along with the rest of the management team and 364 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:21,620 the acquisition with leading change in a very high profile 365 00:22:21,620 --> 00:22:24,740 environment, it was totally a career maker for me, and I never 366 00:22:24,740 --> 00:22:26,720 would have been ready for it, hadn't I done the work 367 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:30,380 Robert Plank: and the long lines of doing the work. Do you 368 00:22:30,380 --> 00:22:34,580 recommend that everyone take the Myers Briggs test so that way 369 00:22:34,580 --> 00:22:37,340 that they know their type, and that way they have a starting 370 00:22:37,340 --> 00:22:40,840 point if, especially if, things don't feel quite right. 371 00:22:42,220 --> 00:22:44,920 Larry Dodd: I think that there's a number of different assessment 372 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:48,700 tools that can be used. I think that provides a starting point. 373 00:22:49,060 --> 00:22:53,860 One I've become very fond of, and actually I'm certified to to 374 00:22:54,220 --> 00:22:57,940 give, is the Gallup Strength Finders, but I've done a number 375 00:22:57,940 --> 00:23:01,560 of them over the years, and I think there's a risk of becoming 376 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:06,120 too confined by the results of a test, rather than using it as a 377 00:23:06,120 --> 00:23:10,380 guideline for better questions about yourself that really only 378 00:23:10,380 --> 00:23:11,100 you can answer. 379 00:23:12,420 --> 00:23:15,480 Robert Plank: That's great, so we're all unique, and don't let 380 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:20,540 that test be a crutch, but maybe it will reveal things to you if 381 00:23:20,540 --> 00:23:25,160 you're better suited to be a people person or not, or if 382 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:29,240 you're if you are better suited in a different career path or or 383 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:32,960 anything of that nature. And so we said that there are these 384 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:36,200 three pillars, right? There's that playbook that you start 385 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:38,960 with, there's the playbook that you create for yourself. And 386 00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:41,680 then on that last pillar, when you say that there's that 387 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:45,160 playbook that you give away to others, does that just come 388 00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:48,220 about naturally in you making your own playbook, or is there 389 00:23:48,220 --> 00:23:51,400 additional work involved in getting to this finishing point? 390 00:23:52,780 --> 00:23:55,900 Larry Dodd: Well, I think it's a little bit of both, ideally over 391 00:23:55,900 --> 00:23:59,440 time. As you get more accustomed to looking at things in this 392 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:04,560 manner, it becomes more natural when you think about a leader. 393 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:09,060 The currency of a leader, the one thing they never have enough 394 00:24:09,060 --> 00:24:14,100 of is time. It's there's what they invest. It's how they make 395 00:24:14,100 --> 00:24:18,780 things happen, and they have to spend their time wisely. And so 396 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:23,060 when you think about giving away your playbook, you're really 397 00:24:23,060 --> 00:24:27,620 giving away your experience. You're giving away what you have 398 00:24:27,620 --> 00:24:32,240 to offer that nobody else can offer. And it's important to 399 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:36,020 realize that you have to be careful and who you're 400 00:24:36,020 --> 00:24:39,560 developing and choose the right people who will benefit from 401 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:44,140 that knowledge. So why is that important? The matter of choice. 402 00:24:44,620 --> 00:24:48,400 When we think about employee retention today, we think about 403 00:24:48,460 --> 00:24:51,220 look through the news, we see all kinds of different things 404 00:24:51,220 --> 00:24:55,480 that companies do to retain good employees. They give them more 405 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:58,540 money, they give them more perks, they give them more 406 00:24:58,540 --> 00:25:02,520 tangible material. Material things. The one thing a leader 407 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:06,960 has to offer that nobody else has to offer is their 408 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:11,460 experience, is their heart, is their passion, and those are the 409 00:25:11,460 --> 00:25:15,300 things that can't be offered by anybody else. So when you think 410 00:25:15,300 --> 00:25:18,960 about employee retention, when you can make that connection 411 00:25:19,020 --> 00:25:22,880 with a key employee who you're developing, your chances for 412 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:26,360 retention are going to be much higher, and you're going to 413 00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:28,400 serve your organization much better. 414 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:32,900 Robert Plank: And when you say give away this playbook, are you 415 00:25:32,900 --> 00:25:37,220 saying give it away publicly or to everyone, or are you only 416 00:25:37,220 --> 00:25:40,600 letting specific people who need this in on the plan? 417 00:25:41,619 --> 00:25:43,419 Larry Dodd: Well, I think you're working with people, you're 418 00:25:43,419 --> 00:25:47,139 developing, but within your organization, you're mentoring 419 00:25:47,139 --> 00:25:49,479 them, you're sharing of yourself. Not everybody will be 420 00:25:49,479 --> 00:25:52,539 ready for what you have to offer. So if you're building 421 00:25:52,539 --> 00:25:56,079 somebody, for example, to go from an individual contributor 422 00:25:56,799 --> 00:26:00,539 into a managerial role, there are certain things that leaders 423 00:26:00,779 --> 00:26:05,099 have, by definition, been doing that have got them where they've 424 00:26:05,099 --> 00:26:08,519 got good, bad and indifferent, and it's that mentoring of 425 00:26:08,519 --> 00:26:13,079 sitting down and really taking the time to explain what your 426 00:26:13,079 --> 00:26:16,259 experience is, the good and the bad and the ugly, because it's 427 00:26:16,259 --> 00:26:20,659 all there, and helping them to become better because they 428 00:26:20,659 --> 00:26:25,219 worked for you, that's and so you have to be selected because 429 00:26:25,219 --> 00:26:30,019 you just don't have enough time, which is your major currency. 430 00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:34,040 Robert Plank: Well, great. So you can, because you've already 431 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:37,760 blazed the trail for them, then you can, you can make their 432 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:41,920 journey to where they need to go a lot easier than yours was 433 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:46,420 because you were mentoring them. And so if, if there is someone 434 00:26:46,420 --> 00:26:49,960 out there in podcast land who's who's listening, and you you 435 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:54,340 want to speak directly to them, how do they know that they have 436 00:26:54,340 --> 00:26:57,160 a problem that you can help with? What? What's your ideal 437 00:26:57,160 --> 00:27:00,480 client here? And how does someone know that you're a good 438 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:04,500 fit to have a conversation with them, to help them get their 439 00:27:04,500 --> 00:27:06,780 employees doing some of these things we're talking about here. 440 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:10,560 Larry Dodd: Well, I think the ideal client is somebody who's 441 00:27:11,820 --> 00:27:15,720 kicking off a major change initiative and realizes that 442 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:18,600 it's going to require a cultural change with their organization 443 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:22,580 or their team. That change starts at the top, and it starts 444 00:27:22,580 --> 00:27:25,460 with the leader, because people will follow what they model from 445 00:27:25,460 --> 00:27:28,520 us, and if we're modeling the right things and the right 446 00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:33,560 values, then gives us the proper foundation upon which to put a 447 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:37,520 strategic plan that is really more task oriented, more focused 448 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:40,480 on building the organization and taking it where it needs to be 449 00:27:40,780 --> 00:27:44,740 because you build trust. So the end, it starts really with the 450 00:27:44,740 --> 00:27:47,080 three pillars. Do you have the right leaders in the right 451 00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:51,160 place, with the right attitude at the right time? And if you 452 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:54,580 do, then are they building their people in the same way? Do they 453 00:27:54,580 --> 00:27:56,860 know who they're building? Do they have the right approach to 454 00:27:56,860 --> 00:28:01,200 building people? Do they have the right playbook? And then 455 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:05,040 finally, are they giving away their playbook? Are they 456 00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:07,680 developing the person? And frequently, you'll see that 457 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:13,440 happen in the later hours of a day, or over lunch, or at a time 458 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:17,400 when it's inconvenient, because that's what is convenient for 459 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:20,180 the business. One way to measure heart of the people you're 460 00:28:20,180 --> 00:28:23,780 developing. How far are they reaching? Those are the types of 461 00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:28,160 organizations that I can offer help to, and that I provide the 462 00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:29,780 best, best support for, 463 00:28:30,980 --> 00:28:34,460 Robert Plank: fantastic a lot of this makes quite a bit of sense. 464 00:28:34,460 --> 00:28:37,400 And I think that this is something that we we all need to 465 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:41,800 be keeping in mind that we need to know ourselves. We need to 466 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:45,760 grow. We can't stagnate. We need to have these goals. We need to 467 00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:49,300 have this playbook that way we can make our organization the 468 00:28:49,300 --> 00:28:52,420 best as it can be, and we can make good use of our skills and 469 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:56,140 live the best lives that we can be and be fulfilled. And if 470 00:28:56,140 --> 00:28:59,620 people are listening here and they want to take the next step 471 00:28:59,620 --> 00:29:02,400 with you, they want to reach out. They want to contact you. 472 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:06,540 What sort of contact information or website addresses do you have 473 00:29:06,540 --> 00:29:07,320 for us today? 474 00:29:08,220 --> 00:29:13,920 Larry Dodd: Our website address is www, open playbook.com, 475 00:29:15,180 --> 00:29:19,500 that's a great way to contact me. Likewise, my cell phone 476 00:29:19,500 --> 00:29:24,440 numbers. I do, 54484122, also another good way to contact me, 477 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:27,560 but we'd be happy to share more with you, tell you more about 478 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:30,620 what we have to offer, and look forward to talking 479 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:34,220 Robert Plank: to you. Awesome. And just to recap there, that 480 00:29:34,220 --> 00:29:40,960 phone number is 925-448-4122, if you want to give Larry and his 481 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:43,960 team a quick call, and then the website is open dash 482 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:47,800 playbook.com. Do you have any final parting words of wisdom to 483 00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:50,500 tell everyone, everyone else, before we wrap up things here 484 00:29:50,500 --> 00:29:52,300 today, Larry, well, 485 00:29:52,300 --> 00:29:55,120 Larry Dodd: I mean, it's just that when you have an open 486 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:58,060 playbook, and you lead with an open playbook, and you're 487 00:29:58,060 --> 00:30:00,660 developing yourself and others and you're. Giving away and 488 00:30:00,660 --> 00:30:05,760 building the right people. The advancement of people in your 489 00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:09,960 organization and people you're investing in is absolutely 490 00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:13,200 staggering, and it has been in my career, and I can show you 491 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:14,520 how it can work for you as well. 492 00:30:18,060 --> 00:30:21,200 Robert Plank: Please subscribe, rate and review our show at 493 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:25,940 marketer of the day.com/itunes and like us on Facebook at 494 00:30:25,940 --> 00:30:29,120 marketer of the day.com/facebook you.