Kick-A$$ with Klaas Podcast

Did you ever consider the striking parallels between Aaron Rodgers’ injury, the sudden crash of the in the New York Jets' 2023 season, and hero to the Greeks during the Trojan War, Achilles? Well, I did and in today’s episode, we’re exploring how vulnerabilities impact success. We’ll also discover crucial strategies for enduring triumph. From guarding against overconfidence to making strategic decisions, we’ll dive into the essence of resilience. Buckle up as we unravel the lessons of ancient Greek mythology and their application in sports, work, and life.

As you’re getting ready to listen, ask yourself:

• Who or what is your Achilles (your greatest strength)
• Who or what is your Achilles' heel (your biggest vulnerability)
• How would you adapt and emerge victorious if your vulnerability were exposed

Tune in for valuable insights on strength, strategy, and self-reflection.

Be sure to check out the blog on the topic as well. You can find it here: https://moreklaas.com/f/on-strength-strategy-aaron-rodgers-and-the-ancient-greeks

It’s easy to get trapped in the woulda, coulda, shoulda's of life, especially when times don’t go as we would have hoped. A relationship scarred, a job lost, an opportunity missed. The list could go on and on and unfortunately, so does our head:
I shoulda done __ different
I coulda done __ different
I woulda done __ different
It’s not that self-critique isn't important, it is. The danger is confusing controlled reflection with dwelling in regret to the point of not being able to use the lessons of yesterday for the challenges of tomorrow.

In today's episode, we explore the danger of regret, the power of reflection, and how 'what we could have done different' is forward thinking.

The moment you take on a leadership position, you are granted two unique powers: AUTHORITY and ACCESS. How you utilize each will define your leadership style. In today's episode, we're exploring the unique powers and burdens that all new leaders carry. What is Authority? Is it good or bad? What is access? Who and what makes it valuable as a leadership asset? 

This is season 3 and we couldn't be more excited about your continued support! Authority + Access

'Just Keep Swimming', perhaps one of the most popular lines in all of film from the last 20 years. As we work through another month of difficult economic conditions as well as witness another 46,000 people lose their jobs in the month of November alone, there's no better time than to revisit the lessons of a naive fish with short-term memory loss. On this episode of the Kick a$$ w/Klaas podcast, we're doing just that as well as take a trip down memory lane to some of the forks in the road from our own journey. 

If you find yourself at a moment of forced pause such as a lay-off or you simply sense that danger is on the horizon, it's going to be important to keep your momentum despite the current pulling you in all the directions other than where you want to go. You may get lost. You may encounter danger. You may get an unexpected side-kick that irritates the heck out of you but... also happens to be the positive force that keeps you sane in an otherwise insanely frustrating time. 

This is what we're hoping to learn from Dory and this episode: 'Just Keep Swimming: Lessons for life and layoffs from the words of a fish' 

What does President Lincoln, Impostor Syndrome, Talent Assessment, and Top Gun Maverick all have to do with one another? In today's episode we're exploring two psychological phenomenons, 'Impostor Syndrome' and the 'Dunning-Kruger Effect'. Each present unique barriers for personal and professional growth. We're kicking it off with a great line from our 16th President: 

'Every man is proud of what he does well, and no man is proud of that he does not well. With the former, his heart is in his work; and he will  do twice as much of it with less fatigue'

I think one of the  biggest hurdles that smart, talented, and humble people face is that they don't truly know what they do well. Whether through insecurities or  beat down by a hard world, they see only weaknesses that need fixing,  spreading themselves thinly as they try to cover it all.

The shame is that they never get to truly enjoy their talent, feel the  appreciation from others that good talent rewards, nor devote their  heart to work in a manner which doesn't wear down their body or mind. If only they knew their calling...or call sign. 

Be sure to read the accompanying blog:  https://moreklaas.com/blog-1/f/find-your-feeding-talent-maverick-lincoln-imposter-syndrome

And Check out the digital playbook: Onboard Yourself: A Humble Leader's Guide to Quick Start Trust, Buy-in, and Talent Assessment on Your New Team: https://withkoji.com/@SamGoeb

Episode 14 of the Kick a$$ w/Klaas podcast and we're taking a bath! Not in the literal sense but the cleansing of the mind is attributed to a different type of immersive experience: Forest Bathing. Long touted by Japanese culture as a way to combat the negative health effects of overwork, Shinrin-Yoku, as Forest Bathing is known in Japan, is thankfully making its way to our shores and the timing could never be better. 

For the first time in modern history, the life expectancy of our children is less than ours. Striking when you consider that we live in the most prosperous and medically advanced nation's on earth. The cause is of greater concern as deaths by lifestyle continue to rise, such as diabetes and obesity. We are also victim to what has been described as 'deaths of despair', which include suicide and accidents (EX: drug over doses). In fact, the rate at which Americans are dying of lifestyle and despair, are rising at a greater rate than that of Cancer! 

What's the prescription for these ills? Numerous studies support nature's place in our healing. Not just of the mind, but that of the soul. 

Join us as we walk in the woods and explore the hidden benefits of nature for our personal and professional growth. 

Episode 13 of the Kick a$$ w/Klaas podcast and we're getting mindful. Just like the popular HiiT workouts, which maximize cardiovascular conditioning through micro but intense physical exertion sessions, an abbreviated but focused mindfulness effort can spark creative vision in the workplace. Studies have found that the practice of meditation prior to business meetings, broadens organic idea development. While the corporate wellness market has been on a steady rise over the last 15 years, much if it has been focused on the body (weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.). Positively, we're now seeing the space evolve to a focus on the wellness of the mind, not only because it completes the picture of a person's health but it can also boost transformative business innovation. 

In this episode, we dive into what meditation is and what it isn't, how you can get started, and where it can take your creative growth personally and professionally. 

Let's get mindful! 

Episode 12 of the Kick A$$ w/Klaas Podcast and we're talking about performance super-foods!

There's an old saying that goes something along the lines of, 'advice is easy  to give but hard to take.' Which may lead one to believe that if advice is so easily cast around and our ability to act on it is so  difficult, then why are we asking for it at all? Because of this, we ask for feedback. Unfortunately, it's a safety net that yields little results. Studies show that feedback is vague and lacks creativity. Whereas, those that ask for advice were 54% more likely to receive deep and actionable insight. Much of this has to do with the definitions of the words themselves, one focused on reaction, the other on action. Combine this with human psychology, and we can start to uncover the performance super-food available to us, though little used: Asking for advice. We explore this and more in this episode of the podcast.

Episode 11 of the Kick Ass w/Klaas podcast and we're talking frogs, princes and the 4 reasons that great talent fails! We've all been there, attracted to potential but married to disappointment. In our careers or relationships, we ignore red flags and trust that our influence or talent alone can resolve a 'work in progress'. But if the here and now is stalling your own potential, then we're fooling ourselves in thinking it will get better.

So how do we find ourselves kissing (professional) frogs...or turning from a prince to a frog ourself?

It's a two headed monster:

1) Organization's see potential in candidates even though they aren't prepared to nurture that talent

2) Employees are so clouded by the attractiveness of a new job, that they ignore the fact that this prince, sure does kiss like a frog

In this episode we discuss the 4 reasons that even the best of talent, fails: Poor Fit, Disengagement, Organizational Politics and Personal Circumstances.

You can also check out the Klaas blog, where we write about this in full detail: https://lnkd.in/gDbZbTG

New year, new season, new themes but the same motto: You don't have to be an ass to Kick Ass!  This week, we're talking about the curious case of loosing cultures and how even elite talent is subject to its losing environment. Matthew Stafford, a lovable loser who in just one year, forever changed the fate of his reputation. Aaron Rodgers, a pursuer of perfection but dismantled by the errors of those around him. Can you really be a great player when you continuously lose? What's the lesson for the regular Joe? We explore this an more in this week's episode: Choosing Losing: Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Culture Curiosities. 

 - Abbreviated Show notes: 

There are only 8 QBs in history who have passed for over 50,000 yards. Unsurprisingly, that list includes Favre, Rodgers, Brees, Roethlisberger, Elway, and both Manning brothers. Sitting 5 yards short of that coveted list, with 49,995 passing yards is a player who up until this year, would have been considered a talented loser: Matthew Stafford. Stafford played 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions. 29 of his 34 4th quarter comebacks (which by the way, puts him tied for 5th in history), were with the lovable losing Lions. He’s thrown for more touchdowns than any other Lion’s player and to put that in perspective of how many throwers they’ve had, Detroit just happens to be one of the oldest teams in the NFL. Stafford is the winningest QB to ever wear the blue and silver. His win total doubles the next closest person on the list. Unfortunately, the Lions stink and they’ve stunk for a very long time. It’s been 64 years since they won their last championship in 1957. That’s 10 years before the Superbowl even existed. They have lost a total of 694 games (2nd most all time) and were the first team to go 0–16. Little Matty Stafford was 3 years old when they won their last playoff game; he’s 33 today. For Stafford, that all changed this last weekend when he scored his first playoff victory. Unfortunately for the Motor City, it just so happened to be with a different team. This past off-season, Stafford requested a trade and was sent happily packing across the country to the Los Angeles Rams. On Sunday, they’ll compete for a SuperBowl appearance. Meanwhile Detroit, led by Rams former quarterback Jared Goff (who is also very good), are sitting at home, their season done with a record of 3 & 13, with 1 tie. 

Is Losing Contagious What does this all mean for you, the corporate desk jockey and zoom monkey searching for your next big company pay-day? Great talent can be found in losing organizations. Rarely is one superstar enough to resolve ineptitude at scale. 

Corporations are like sports franchises; they are teams. An individual performer can perform great, but if everyone else around you is either of lesser talent or lesser commitment or simply cursed by deciding factors outside of the field level’s control, then it becomes a question of: Can you win, when everyone else around you is losing? One of the greatest players of all-time, Barry Sanders, retired from the NFL after just 10 seasons with the Detroit Lions. He played a punishing position. Running backs aren’t known for their longevity, but there was no sign that Sanders was losing a step either when he walked away. Likely, he was just tired of giving everything he had and continuing to see the same lackluster results. He is a hall of fame player, but he’s also cursed with an invisible asterisk. When people mention Barry Sanders’ name, it’s often followed by some version of: *..it’s too bad he played for such bad teams. 

How Good Are You So where do you fit in: Are you good enough to on a regular basis get close to the finish line only to lose to the competition or miss your goals? Is there a pattern of losing within your organization where while once it felt like a fluke, you can now predict it with frightening accuracy? *see the blog for full text

Episode 9 of the Kick Ass w/Klaas podcast is up and we're diving into the lessons from my favorite holiday film, 'It's a Wonderful Life'. 

Even as a kid, I was drawn to its mix of innocence and haunting. As an  adult, I've only grown to appreciate and learn from it even more.

Yet  despite traditional perception, 'It's a Wonderful Life' is a very dark  movie. The story of a man seeped in bitterness and resentment, known to  fly into fits of rage and whom ultimately attempts suicide. Had this  been made in the 2000's, perhaps we'd consider it an important  independent film, challenging the stereotypes of mental illness.  Consider that this was made in the post-WWII American Dream propaganda  heyday and it's a wonder the film was even made, let alone become the  epitome of celebratory life in the holiday season.

I  wrote a blog about this three years ago and am re-posting to the Klaas website because it still rings true today. Perhaps the back story of the  movie and its characters will provide new perspective for you. Likely,  there are similarities to people in your own life that on the outside  appear as high performers but who are battling silent demons in their  mind. Your friendship means more to them than they realize.

Episode 6 of the Kick Ass w/Klaas Podcast is the Audio Blog version today! Momentarily taking a break from live banter so we can walk you through one of the most recent posts from the Kick Ass Blog, 'Your Ego Needs 4 Mentors'. Sit back and relax as we reminisce on the mentors that shaped us, the good, the bad and the subtle. We'll also challenge you with some homework as you assess the mentors in your life and in doing so, may provoke thought on your influence over others. 

To read the blog, visit: https://moreklaas.com/blog-1/f/your-ego-needs-4-mentors