The School of Greatness - 263 Master Confidence, Humility, and Leadership with Brad Lomenick

Episode Date: December 8, 2015

"Brag about the people around you. Make them the heroes of the story." - Brad Lomenick If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes and more at http://lewishowes.com/263

This is episode number 263 with Brad Lomaneck. Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin. What's up, everyone?

Welcome to the School of Greatness podcast. I am very excited about today's guest. His name is Brad Lomanick, and he's a strategic advisor and leadership consultant specializing in influence and innovation. He is the author of The Catalyst Leader, Eight Essentials for Becoming a Change Agent, and also a brand new book that I'm excited to talk about and dive in today, which is called Be Humble, Stay Hungry, and Always Hustle, Three Things That I'm Always Living By, Humility, Hunger, and Hustle.

So I'm excited to dive in and hear about the strategies that Brad talks about in his book. And he's got 20 key habits for how to really be a better leader and have more influence. So we're going to talk about some of those. We're also going to talk about the importance of your identity, your calling, and your assignment, and what to not mix up. Because sometimes we get our assignment and what to not mix up. Because sometimes we get our assignment and our identity mixed up when we end something. When we end an assignment, we have our identity attached to that. So he's going to talk about how to process transition in our lives, how to let go of identity for certain things we used to do, and really how to move forward in an influential

way. And he talks about three key ways to be more influential. So I'm very excited for you guys to dive into this so without further ado let's go ahead and dive into this episode with the one the only brad lomaneck welcome back everyone to the school of greatness podcast very excited about our guest today his name is brad lomaneck brad how's it going man it's great lewis How are you? I'm doing great. I'm excited. This is the first time we've connected. I've seen your name out there for a while, and I saw your book, kind of the cover and the buzz about it coming out

recently. And I was like, it's a great title because it's got the word humble, hungry, and hustle in it. And I was like, that's what I'm all about. And that was one of the essences of my book was a chapter was called Hustle. So for me, I was like, that's what I'm all about. And that was one of the essences of my book was a chapter. It was called Hustle. So for me, I was like, this guy gets it. And you're an author. You talk about leadership a lot. And I'm curious, why did you come out with this book

and what inspired you to do this? Well, this book for me is my life mantra. When people say, how do you define leadership? I go to two things. One, I go to Maxwell's definition, which is leadership life mantra. When people say, how do you define leadership? I go to two things. One, I go to Maxwell's definition, which is leadership is influence. And the second thing is I talk about these three H's, humble, hungry, and hustle. And I've been talking about those since I was in college. Everybody who sort of brings that question up, it's always, that's my posture. You know, the three-legged stool of my leadership chair is those three words. And, you know, so for 20 years, I've been trying to live it out. And I was, you know, at a place in life in the last couple of years where I had some opportunities to start to put some of my message and my life and career as you have into a book form.

And conversations with the publishers, they always sort of ask you, hey, what's important to you and what stands out? And I brought that one up and they all just sort of stopped and they said, okay, hold on, let's rewind. And so H3 as just this posture and this sense of the three-legged stool of leadership really became the anthem for the book and the title. And it worked from a cover perspective. You know how important that is. But for me, it's really been a life mantra.

Now, humble. Can you be confident and humble at the same time? Yeah. I mean, no question. I think the people who are the best leaders are both confident and humble. And it's the idea of appropriate ambition. It's the idea of healthy ambition. It's that posture that says, I realize that I'm really good at what I do, but I also realize that there's a bigger story going on and I'm not the center of the, of attention. I'm not the, you know, I'm not the center of the,

the point of the story happening. And, but you, you never shy away from, from that sense that you're walking into something with complete confidence that you're the best at what you do. And I mean, that's, it. And it's not easy, though. We run into leaders all the time who are incredibly humble but do nothing. People are like, oh, I just want to be humble, Brad. Well, that's great. But if you're not doing anything, if you're just sitting around going, it's not about me, then that's just as bad in many ways as somebody who is the other side of that.

Yeah. It's interesting. It's like a dance because I'm talking about this a lot lately because I had this book come out and people are asking about my book tour. How are you going to stay humble through all the success you get and for the years coming, how are you going to stay humble? I said, listen, for me, it's a dance because I know that I need to be confident because confidence is what got me here. And I get to continue to be confident in my vision, in my dreams, and pursue it with an unwavering passion. Otherwise, I'm not going to be able to create something powerful from just an idea without any evidence of it happening. But I was like, in the results that you're creating and in the journey along the way I practice a ritual of humility and gratitude every morning every night I'm constantly asking people what are they grateful for it's on my voicemail you know I say if you want to leave

me a message tell me what you're grateful for because I feel like I need to be in that conversation otherwise I could easily get caught up in the success and the results and people you know saying great things about me here and there and be like, yeah, my stuff doesn't stink or whatever. So I think that's why it's important for us to have these rituals and habits in place. Wouldn't you agree? Yeah. And it's really easy to be humble when you have nothing to be proud of. Right. When you haven't accomplished anything, man, people are really humble. The hard part is when you start to stack up lots of accomplishments and accolades.

And that's when it's most important to have a system, posture, accountability, self-awareness in place that says, you know what? I realize that I've worked hard, but still at the end of the day, this is, it's not about me. And, you know, there, there is a huge sense among people in the highest levels of, of power and influence and authority. Um, when, when you're around them, you immediately know whether they are walking in a confident humility or they're walking in an arrogant humility. I agree. And you know, it's interesting. Someone that I talked to recently, I think you know, Maxwell, John Maxwell. Yeah. Are you friends with him? I am.

I worked for John for many years. Wow, yeah. I interviewed him on the podcast recently, and I was blown away by his humility and just his – he was so gracious. And I was like, here's a guy – and maybe, I don't know, maybe he's different behind closed doors. I don't know, maybe he's different behind closed doors. I don't know. But from my experience of him, he was so gracious, so humble, where he's like sold millions and millions of copies of books, speaks in front of hundreds of thousands of people every year, and has this big platform.

But he was just like so humble and grateful. And I was like, wow, this guy could just blow me off and give me whatever answers. But he was so just – I was like – he was like he wanted to hang out. And I was like, I'm a nobody compared to you, but you're willing to still connect with me on that level. And I was like, that's amazing. And I think that's – and I can testify from working for John and working around John and traveling with John. And John is the real deal. Yeah. traveling with John and, uh, you know, John is the real deal. Uh, and the thing about John,

which you found so true in your conversation, which is true in the way he lives his life is in every environment he walks into, um, he makes other people the center of attention. Yeah. And man, that, if I can live that out as a, as a humble leader, because what he's doing is he's walking in with a posture that says, I know I'm a big deal, but I realized that, that I, that part of my posture of being a humble, confident leader is I have to make others around me a big deal because it's really easy for me to walk into any environment and be the center of attention. Right. And say, look at me, let's, let's all talk about me and this and that. Exactly. And the responsibility is on him in that situation to, to, to decide, you know what,

am I going to make it about me or am I going to make it about others? And that's, that situation to decide, you know what, am I going to make it about me or am I going to make it about others? And that has to be like, again, the more we steward, the more we accomplish, the more we have to be intentional about this posture of saying, I realize I'm really good at what I do. I can be the center of attention, but I have to force and be intentional about making others really the focus. Yeah, I like that. So what's a good practice for us being humble and confident at the same time? Is there something that you recommend for people?

Is there someone who does it really well that you know their routine? What do you think? things for those who lead teams, for people who are running organizations or have people around them that are part of their staff is, you know, if you're a type A, which I am, and I'm sure you are, like part of our posture has to be that we let our ego leak about others. And, you know, I've heard people say that it's really hard for me not to talk about myself. Well, you know what? I get that. I understand because you're accomplishing a lot of things. So part of what you have to be willing to do is just, man, brag about the people around you.

Make them the heroes of the story. And this is something that we can all do because we're so good at it. Most of the time, if we're good at what we do, we're really good at talking about ourself, but just turn it on somebody else and let your ego leak. Just let your ego leak constantly about your staff, about your team, about the people around you. We watch the athletes do this, and actually, it's so endearing when we watch an athlete who reflects the praise. Many times, they take the criticism, but they reflect the praise. Yes. And, you know, many times they take the criticism, but they reflect the praise. So that's one practical thing is if you're constantly thinking,

man, I want to talk about myself, just turn it on others. Yeah, great coaches do that too. You know, it's like it's all about the players, about what they did, or I'm responsible if we messed up. Yes, exactly. You know, I made the bad call. I should have done something else. I take that ownership of my team. My players did great. Okay. So that's the humble part. Now hungry, for me, this is hungry and hustle kind of come like hand in hand in a sense, because

you got to be hungry to want something. In my mind, you've got to be hungry for it. You got to go after it. And then you've got to put in the work time in and time out until you build a momentum and leverage where the work becomes a different type of work, the hustle. So talk to me about hunger and how does someone, what is hunger to you? How does someone get hungry if they don't know what they want? They're not, they don't know what they're passionate about. They feel stuck. How do you get hungry? And that you, and then how do you stay hungry? Yeah. Well, I think at the end of the day, being a hungry leader is you realize that you haven't arrived yet and that even once you have arrived that you're still not there.

I love John Wooden's quote from his years of coaching UCLA. He said it's what you learn after you know it all that really counts. And even having John Maxwell on, you listen to John talk about his life, and he's still going for it. He's 68, and the guy is still like – he's as passionate and as hungry as he's ever been. And many times as leaders, we arrive at a certain level, and we just coast. as leaders, we arrive at a certain level and we just coast. And so I think the biggest part of being a hungry leader is saying, I've never arrived. I'm never there yet. I'm constantly getting better. And the idea that leaders are learners, we're constantly improving. And so even in the book, the idea of habits come into play when it comes to this idea of being a

hungry leader. And the habits are connected to all three of these, the idea of humble come into play when it comes to this idea of being a hungry leader. And the habits are connected to all three of these, the idea of humble, hungry, and hustle. But a habit of innovation is a good example of one of the habits that the idea that, you know what, part of our job as leaders is to constantly be willing to push the envelope and try to get better on a consistent basis. What does that mean for an entrepreneur? Let's say someone who's got a business and they've got their core product or service that is their bread and butter. They're making six to seven figures a year

with the same programs, courses, content. Are you saying that in order to stay hungry that they should be pushing the envelope but not just say, okay, we're just going to keep doing the same things over and over, but we're going to look for new programs to create new products, new ways of putting content out there. Is that what you mean? Or is it something else?

Yeah, I think that's part of it. I think it's both part of the product you create and the service you provide, but also the type of leader you are personally. And again, so many of us as leaders, when we think about our own personal leadership, we, when we have a little bit of success, we start to protect and hoard. We start to like, just, just own everything we have and pull it in as close as possible and keep it from, from both being messed up potentially, as well as keep it from being released out to others.

And man, I think we have to just have an approach as a hungry leader that says, man, I'm going to, every conversation I have, every person I run into, every meeting I have is an opportunity for us to get better at what we do. And me personally as well. So it doesn't mean you change something because you just heard the latest, greatest method that might've been put in front of you. It's that you're always taking that in and then having some sort of filtering process that says, I'm going to be open to the opportunity that this might be, be something that we can implement into whatever we do. And you know, that's, that's, again, that's a posture that says,

I'm hungry. I'm willing to learn. I realized that, that I don't have it all figured out. Right. And it's so easy for us to get to that point when we have some success that, that we start to protect our system that we created. And many times the system we created is the one that's going to keep us from actually going to the next level. Right. What about people that don't even know what their level is, what their purpose is, their mission is? You talk about identity, calling, and assignment. Yeah.

How do we discover these things, and what's the formula, or what's the process for, I don't know what I want. I'm not sure. How do we know what my mission is? Yeah. What if it changes? What's the process? Well, that's huge.

And that comes back to this idea of self-awareness and also calling. And I know you've talked a lot about on this podcast and with other leaders about calling and this idea of the sweet spot, that intersection where your strengths and passions come together. And I've wrestled with this in my own experience in the last couple of years. I was part of starting something called Catalyst and we grew it for the last 15 years. And I recently stepped out of running it just because I wanted to pursue some other things. And I'm still involved. I still help. But when I stepped away from Catalyst, which was 12 years for me of an identity, I really had to wrestle with, with what is it that, that I'm supposed to do with my life? And, and who am I really? Like,

if I'm the Catalyst guy, everybody loved Catalyst Brad. Like they, you know, everybody wanted to call me. You had an identity around that brand. Yeah. Exactly. And, and as soon as I stepped away, you know, is my identity gone now? Like, does anybody care anymore? And so I had to- Yeah. I felt the same thing with football. You know, is my identity gone now? Like, does anybody care anymore? And yeah, I felt the same thing with football. You know, I was playing football and that was my life. And then when I got injured, I was like, who am I? You know, what am I doing for the rest of my life now? Yeah.

And so to, you know, to when you think about identity, assignment and calling, let me say I'm the correct way. Identity, calling and then assignment. Identity is who you are. It's 30,000 foot level. It should be unchanging. Calling is the why in your life. It's the purpose. It's why am I here? And that's where your strengths and passions come together. And then assignment is what do I do? So we got to make sure that assignment and identity don't get wrapped up in the wheel

incorrectly together. So can you clarify what yours are just so we can get an example? Yeah. So my identity is I'm Brad Lominick. I'm a son of Jerry and Penny. I grew up in Oklahoma. I mean, I live in Atlanta. Those are unchanging things right now.

My calling is that I have a sense of my life that my purpose is to influence the influencers. And other people have had that one. That's not only mine. I can't take credit for it. But I feel like my role is to gather, equip, and inspire leaders. Now, the assignment for me, Lewis, has been I've had four seasons of assignment. I worked on a guest ranch in Colorado. I was part of a small consulting firm. I worked

with John Maxwell for a few years, and then I ran Catalyst. Those have been my four seasons of assignment. But if I would have looked at those and felt like those were my identity, then all of a sudden when I walk away from those, then I have an identity crisis versus looking at it and going, no, that assignment was just a chapter of the book. Wow. I like that approach that takes all the pressure off yourself. Exactly. And so calling is in that middle spot. And that's really the hinge.

That's really the place where you take your identity and your assignments and you give them clarity. So I can do a lot of things in life now for the next 20 years that will still fit into I like that. it. My identity is, my name is, you know, I'm Lewis Howes. I'm from a small town in Ohio, the youngest of four kids, my parents, Diana and Ralph, and I've traveled the world and lived in many different places. Would that be an identity? Yeah, absolutely. Is there anything I'm missing there or would I, in brief terms, I guess? No, that's good. And again, identity is who you are. It's simply answering the question of who you are and it's unchanging. It's things in life that will never change about you.

My calling is to inspire 100 million people and show them how to make a full-time living doing what they love. I love it. Because I personally believe that that's what's going to heal people and make them the most fulfilled. When they're making a full-time living doing what they love. I love it. Because I personally believe that that's what's going to heal people and make them the most fulfilled when they're making a full-time income doing what they love. That could be working for somewhere else. That could be working on a team. It could be being an entrepreneur. It doesn't have to be making millions.

It just means you're making a full-time income to support yourself and your family doing what you love. And then my assignment right now is, you know, the school of greatness and then the mission that I have behind that and the podcast, the book, the programs, and those things. Would that be right? Yeah, that's great. And again, for everybody listening, again, it's, this is not rocket science and don't make it so hard. That's the key. It's like so many people, they sit around and they get paralyzed by the sense that they have to make theirs sound great or they have to make it sound like it should be in the pages of a book. It's really simple, like who you are, why you're here, and what you do.

Who you are, why you're here, what you do. you do, who you are, why you're here, what you do. And, and if you're what you do, then gives expression to why you're here. And then your, why you're here reflects who you are. Then you, you're matching all those up. And we should never walk through life though, and feel like that, that walking away from a season of assignment is, is a, is a, you know, is a killing of our identity. And, and this is, this is so important for young leaders right now because the average 25-year-old is going to have maybe up to 15 different assignments in their career. The whole new gig economy, the free agent economy,

it's upon us. And where the old days, my dad had one career. He was 40 years in the same industry, whether he liked it or not. And the 25-year-old today is going to walk through multiple seasons of assignment. And if they don't get their calling right and they don't understand their true identity, they're going to be schizophrenic as it relates to the assignments they have. Yeah, that's interesting. It's so simple, but it could be one of those things you do if you know those three things and you don't associate your assignment with your identity.

Yes. Because then you'll – I associated my assignment playing football with my identity. Yeah. And for two years, I was depressed and miserable and missing out and feeling sad for myself. Right. And I mean, I've, uh, you, you have lots of friends who are probably still playing and, and they're going to walk away at 28, 30, 32, and they're going to, they're going to look at life and go, Oh my gosh, I have no reason or purpose for existence. And it's just not true that that's an assignment for them. A football career is an assignment. It's not, it, it, it reflects their identity and it should reflect their calling, but it should not

take the place of their identity. Right. What do you think is the most important habit that we can have as individuals? Yeah. I think today, two things, and if you'll give me the freedom to have two. One is more internal and one is external. I think the habit of authenticity and of openness, of self-awareness is crucial. If you're not an authentic leader today, you're going to have a really hard time having people that will want to follow you or that actually will follow you. This is so true more than ever because of the fact that we live in a world of fake. And the more real we are, the more influence we'll have. So that would be the first one on the internal side of how you lead. The second would be the external,, that a habit of execution is crucial.

The old days of you being able to sit in the corner office and drink spritzers and bark out commands and you had a command and control style. You were never willing to get your hands dirty. Those days are over. There's still a few corporations and large industries that exist that that's not true in. But most of the leadership landscape is now built around an environment that says, I'm willing to get my hands dirty. And I'm willing to not only get in the game with you and be beside you in the trenches, but we realize that the greatest form of us being able to move things forward is actually getting things done.

And it has to – if you read Seth Godin, which I do and I know you do, like Seth has been barking this for 10 years. And it's so true now that you just have to be a – you have to have a culture that shifts. You have to have a culture that says we're going to push it across the finish line. We're going to score a touchdown. We're going to make things happen and get things done. And the third thing you talk about is always hustle. And for some people, they might think, man, I have to always hustle for the rest of my life. That sounds exhausting.

What do you mean by – what's hustle mean to you and how do we do it and how long do we have to do it for? mean by what's hustle mean to you and and how do we do it and how long we have to do it for well hustle is again it's a posture and it's it's something that says you're willing to work your guts out when the time requires that to be so um it's interesting you know even some of the habits that are in the hustle bucket in the book there's a habit of generosity that is that helps define what hustle is there's a habit of margin you know it what hustle is. There's a habit of margin. It's so important that we work hard as well as we play hard and that we also rest hard. And if you're not setting up margin in your life as part of your hustle mentality, then you're going to – one, you're going to burn out really fast. But two, you're going to redline so much that you'll probably end up just killing

yourself. And we have to, and another part of hustle is generosity. Like, what does it look like for you to actually realize that the greatest form of your leadership being successful is for it to add value to other people? You know, so you've got to take a hustle posture, not just, I mean, part of it is to get things done and work your guts out. But it's also that idea that you, you take all the areas of life and you bring such a level of intensity to those that you're pushing the ball forward. And it's, it's all the areas that have to be done well. And not just that you're overworking yourself or you're staying until 10 o'clock at night and you're working 80 hours. Right. That that's, that's part of the potentially in certain seasons,

but it doesn't mean that you now define yourself by, I can outwork anyone. Right. 80 hours a week for the rest of my life. Yeah. And John talked about that too. He's like, you know, I said, is there a way to have, you know, balance in life? He's like, it's not possible because we go through seasons, you know, sometimes you're in the playoffs and you're gonna be working nonstop and then you're gonna have an off season to recover and you're not gonna be working much at all. You're gonna be reflecting and, um, you know, and then there's other times where you're maintaining. So it's just, I think we've got to learn to listen to our body, um, learn to listen to, you know, I think we've got to learn to listen to our body, learn to listen to the people around us, our companies, things like that, and be willing to ebb and flow as things come and go, right?

Yeah, and it's also just a willingness that says, I is to be the best in the world. And I keep, I continue to sort of raise that level of standard, uh, not because it's all about me, but because I want to create something that's done well. And you know, this is, this is the, this is the ultimate expression many times of, of how we receive accolades or success. You know, like your book doesn't make the best seller list just because you worked hard and that's part of many times of how we receive accolades or success. Your book doesn't make the best seller list just because you worked hard. That's part of it. It doesn't even matter if you write a great book. Yeah.

If no one gets to see it, if you don't promote it in front of people, then no one's going to read it. Yeah. The other side of that is if it's not good, then people won't pass it along. Exactly. It has to be both a posture that says, I'm willing to get it done, but I also have to create something that's really done well.

Yeah, I like that. What's your definition of leadership? You know, I still live by the premise that leadership is influence. You know, and that's Maxwell. That's John Maxwell. You heard it on your conversation with him. And I would echo that,

that it's not about title. It's not about position. It's not about authority. Um, I believe that the leaders who are leading well today are the ones that are out in front, uh, not just, not just in charge. Um, so, but I would leave it at that core of leadership is influence. And that means that we're all leaders because we're all, uh, neighbors. We're all fathers and mothers. We're all part of a community. We're all part of an organization. We're co-workers. So we all have influence at some level. For someone listening and they think, you know what, I'd like to be more influential, what are some, in today's age, what do you think are some things, maybe a few things that people

could do to increase their influence? Yeah. Well, and especially if you're somebody who is, um, is looking at the landscape of your place in life and let's assume that they're saying, I want to, I want to continue to kind of raise the standard as well as climb the ladder. Yeah. One thing would be that you, you need to start acting, leading, speaking, dressing, having conversations like the position you want next. And this is so true in football and sports. When you're the second string, when you're the backup, you have to show up to practice every day like you're the starter because you never know when you're going to get put in. Exactly. And many of us, we spend so much of our energy thinking about the next thing or the next promotion or the next position or the next opportunity, and we lose sight of the current realities.

And I would say, man, just kill it in your current. realities. And I would say, man, just kill it in your current, like just absolutely be the best in the world of what you do in your current, because that's the greatest opportunity for you to show and express how you will kill it in the next. And, and the way you kill it in the now is you take your assignment, you do it well, but you also start to, you start to, to think and, and, and act and talk, um, and show up with the same level of commitment that you would have in that next level. So if you're a mid-level manager and you say, Brad, I would love to be a VP in my company, you know what?

Start watching the VPs that are in your company and start emulating or modeling the things that they're doing or the expectations they have on their life, the accountability that they have to live out. And you'll start to see that slowly but surely bring a new level of accountability to your own world. And you can't just wait until you step into that next role before you start acting like you're already in it. I love it.

That would be one. A second one is, man, we've never lived in an age, Lewis, and this is why I love your podcast. We've never lived in an age where we have excuses anymore of not being learners. People will still show up and they'll say, well, I don't have an MBA or I never really got to go and finish college. I don't have any opportunities to go to conferences. Man, you have so many conferences that are at your disposal. Online conferences too that are free. Absolutely.

There's just no excuse anymore. So find a few things that you really have a passion for and start digging into those and become a student, become a student. Um, and, and when I say student, I mean, uh, part of your posture as a young up and coming leader, or even if you're, you know, mid-level or mid-age is find people who you really admire and reach out to them. Like there's a lot of people who still will email me or email you that I respond to. And the, you know, I've never, I've always tried as far up the ladder as I've gone. And that's not very far, but as far up the ladder I've gone, I've always tried to be willing

to reach back down the ladder and pull people up next to me. And this is true of great leaders. They are always willing, if time allows and if schedule is okay, to help people along their journey. But you've got to reach out to them. So you did this. Your story is such a model of this idea of being willing to get in the messy, awkward places and start asking people for advice. And can I have a few minutes of your time? Can I ask you a few questions? And most people will say yes. Yeah. They just will. Um, but, but don't ever let that excuse of, of where you sit. Oh, you know, woe is me. Nobody cares. Nobody's willing to talk to me or respond to me. That's just not true anymore. Yeah. I love that. A couple questions left for you, Brad. And before I ask them, I want to make sure that people go check

out the book. It's called Be Humble, Stay Hungry, Always Hustle. And it's 20 key habits great leaders have in common that are throughout the book. There's some great habits. You guys know that I'm a big fan of habits and rituals, so I definitely recommend checking it out. Also, I have it linked up here at the end in the show notes, so I'll tell you guys where to go for that, but you can get it on Amazon. What's the best site to check out? What you're up to, Brad?

Yeah, people can check out the book site. It's h3leadership.com. Then my site is just my name, bradlominick, L-O-M-E-N-I-C-K.com. Those are the two best places. Then all the social media outlets, I'm just my full name, at Brad Lominick. Okay, cool. We'll have those all linked up here in a moment on the show notes. Two final questions. This is something I ask at the end of every episode, and one is the

three truths question. So if your book was erased and everything you've ever created was gone and you had a piece of paper and a pen to write down the three things you know to be true about life and that would be the message that you give to the world. That's all they would know from you. What would those three truths be? Man, I love this question. I think the first one would be that family matters. The second one would be that faith is not only important, but it's the biggest story happening. And that my story connected to a larger faith story in the sense of me as a believer, as somebody who follows God, is the best thing for me to live for. The third would be this, that the people who go with me on the journey,

if I don't finish well with them, then my life has not been a success. And so family, faith, and friends. I mean, if I had to sort of wrap those three into the three Fs, that would be it. There you go. I love it. Before I ask the final question, Brad, I want to take a moment to acknowledge you because I feel like there are not enough people

like you out there who are able to create information and serve people on such a high level that makes it simple for us to figure out what our purpose is, our identity, and how to take the seasons of life. So I am very grateful and acknowledge you for how you show up in the world. You are very humble, and it comes across, and you're such a clear communicator that it serves a lot of people. So thanks for all that you do.

Well, thanks, man. And just I think the last thing for me to say would be people ask me that you do. Well, thanks, man. And just, I think the last thing for me to say would be, you know, people ask me now, like at 42, Brad, like what's the rest of the story, you know, leadership catalysts, like you built something. And my, my story is for 20 years, I feel like I've been building a platform that would create influence. And I think the next 20 years I'm going to be leveraging that platform for others gain. I love it. I love it. Final question. What's your definition of greatness? My definition of greatness is that other people around me thrive and flourish. There you go. Brad Lominick, thanks so much for coming on and sharing your wisdom with us today.

I appreciate it. Thanks, Lewis. You're awesome, man. Keep up the great work. Thank you. day. I appreciate it. Thanks, Lewis. You're awesome, man. Keep up the great work. Thank you. And there you have it, gang. What a powerful episode with my friend Brad. Thank you guys for sticking around. Let me know what you enjoyed the most out of this. Go back to the show notes at lewishouse.com slash 263 and tweet me at Lewis House what you enjoyed the most from this episode today about influence, about leadership, about calling identity. Again, lewishouse.com slash 263. We do this every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and we've got some big things coming up next year. The year is about to wrap. I'm excited. I'm going to go in hibernation mode. Thank you guys for sticking around. Make sure to check out Brad as well and

his websites. We've got it all linked back at lewishouse.com slash 263. I love you guys. Thank you. And you know what time it is. It's time to go out there and do something great. Outro Music