Meikles & Dimes

204: How To Show People They Matter | Zach Mercurio

Zach Mercurio is a researcher, author, and speaker specializing in leadership, mattering, and meaningful work. He is the author of the books The Invisible Leader and The Power of Mattering, and some of his clients include the U.S. Army, J.P. Morgan Chase, Delta Airlines, Marriott International, The Government of Canada, and The National Park Service.

Zach also serves as one of Simon Sinek’s “Optimist Instructors,” teaching a course with Simon on how leaders can show everyone how they matter.

Zach earned a Ph.D. in organizational learning, performance, and change from Colorado State University, where he now serves as a Senior Honorary Fellow in the Center for Meaning and Purpose.

In this episode we discuss the following:

• To show people they matter we can ask them, “When you feel that you matter to me, what am I doing?” And then do more of those things.
• We can show people they matter by providing evidence (e.g., pictures) of how their work benefits others.
• We can show people we need them by pointing out what wouldn’t get done without them.
• Just because something is common sense, doesn’t mean it’s common practice. But by taking simple steps to notice and affirm people, even scheduling our good intentions, we can help people know that they matter and close the knowing / doing gap.

 

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203: Sundays With Tozer Episode 26 | Raul Rodriguez Part 2

Tozer and I continue our discussion with Raul and we learn how Raul got Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico, to visit Raul’s university. We also dive into the moral philosophy that Raul so effectively teaches his students.

202: Sundays With Tozer Episode 25 | Raul Rodriguez Part 1

In this episode Tozer and I talk with Raul Rodriguez, who has one of the most impressive life stories I’ve ever heard. I think you’ll really enjoy hearing about Raul’s life and the impact Tozer had on it it.

201: Sundays With Tozer Episode 24 | Tozer & Greg Fullmer

In this episode we talk with Tozer and Greg Fullmer (aka Fromer). 

200: Kannon Shanmugam, U.S. Supreme Court Litigator | Enthusiasm for Greatness

Kannon Shanmugam is a partner at the law firm Paul Weiss and has argued 39 cases before the Supreme Court, representing clients such as Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, Meta, Warner Music, Bank of America, Coinbase, and the NFL, among others. Kannon has also argued more than 150 appeals in courts across the country, including all 13 federal courts of appeals.

A longtime Supreme Court reporter said that Kannon has “perhaps the most eloquent and elegant manner … that I’ve ever seen in my 40 years covering the Court."

Legal 500 called Kannon "a brilliant lawyer and tactician, with impeccable judgment and an optimal moral compass." It added, “you won’t find a more talented, sophisticated, compelling lawyer—and he matches that with his overall humility and kind nature.”

Before entering private practice, Kannon served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General at the U.S. Department of Justice and as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Kannon earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard, was a Marshall Scholar at the University of Oxford, and then returned to Harvard for his Law degree.

In this episode we discuss the following:

• As Judge Sack told Kannon, all you can do in a career is stand by the hoop and hope that somebody passes you the ball.
• There’s no substitute for hard work. At the top levels, everyone has great credentials. But what differentiates the very best people is they put in the work, in a profession where there are no shortcuts.
• Surround yourself with great people, including great mentors. But not just older people. Kannon devoted a lot of time to finding the most talented young attorneys who were driven, smart, and enthusiastic.
• Enthusiasm is one of the most important things Kannon looks for when identifying talented people: enthusiasm to work, enthusiasm to grow, and enthusiasm to learn.
• If you love what you do, it’s easy to get out of bed in the morning and keep doing it.

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199: Sundays With Tozer Episode 23 | Tozer Moves to New Mexico

In this episode we discuss why Tozer moved from Idaho Falls to Los Alamos. We also learn how Tozer became the Father of LANL's Information System that tracks hazardous waste. 

198: Sundays With Tozer Episode 22 | Tozer & Casey Bergeson

In this episode we talk with Casey Bergeson, one of Tozer's first "roommates" and one of Tozer's closest friends.

197: Technologist Bob Goodson | What Is the Most Important Problem in My Field?

Bob Goodson is President and Founder of Quid, a Silicon Valley–based company whose AI models are used by a third of the Fortune 50. Before starting Quid, Bob was the first employee at Yelp, where he played a role in the genesis of the Like Button.

Bob is also a co-author of the new book Like, which tells the story of the origins of the Like Button in social media. 

In this episode we discuss the following:

• The question Bob routinely asks himself: “What is the most important problem in my field and am I working on it?”
• It’s nearly impossible to make meaningful contributions to important fields from the outside. But by placing ourselves in the heat and discomfort of the furnace, we give ourselves the chance to do our most important work.
• By working on the most important problem in our field, we potentially give ourselves an advantage, because often there aren’t as many people working on that problem as we might think.

 

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196: Harvard Researcher Siri Chilazi | Having Humility in How Much We Trust Our Brains

Siri Chilazi is a researcher at the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School. Siri specializes in identifying practical approaches to close gender gaps at work by designing fairer processes. Her work regularly appears in leading media outlets including the BBC, Fast Company, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and The New York Times. She is also the co-author of the book, Make Work Fair.

Siri has an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, and a BA in Chemistry and Physics from Harvard College.

In this episode we discuss the following:

• When computer science classrooms changed the pictures on the walls, from masculine-associated pictures to more gender-neutral pictures, more women expressed interest in computer science.

• As Siri said, we should strive to have humility about how much we trust our brains and our own intuition. And by doing so, we can hopefully make work, and the world, more fair.

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195: Mental Performance Coach Riley Jensen | Greatness Is Achieved One Rep at a Time

Riley Jensen is the lead Mental Performance Coach at Weber State University Athletics. He has coached and trained professional, college, and high school athletes as well as corporate clients from companies such as Microsoft and the Utah Jazz.  

In this episode we discuss the following:

• If we’re thinking about coulda shoulda wouldas, we’re in the past. If we’re thinking about what ifs, we’re in the future. But to help us be where our feet are, we can think about 3 things we see, 2 things we hear, and 1 thing we feel. Then add in a deep, diaphragmatic breath and we’ll reset and get our minds into the moment.
• When Riley didn’t think he could make it through another 60 days of caring for his sick daughter, his mom asked him, “Can you make it through tomorrow.”
• Greatness is achieved one day at a time, one rep at a time. And if we’re worried we can’t make it through one day, can we make it until lunch, or even just through the next ten minutes.
• It’s never as bad as it seems, and it’s never as good as it gets.

 

Connect on Social Media:

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