My Favorite Mistake: Learning Without Blame in Business and Leadership

Five Mistakes That Shaped an ER Doctor Turned Startup CEO

Emergency physician and CEO of KaiNexus, a technology company in Austin, TX
Show notes https://www.markgraban.com/mistake31
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Joining me for Episode #31 is Dr. Greg Jacobson, an emergency medicine physician and the CEO/co-founder of KaiNexus, a technology and software company. In the interest of full disclosure, I will mention that I have worked with KaiNexus, in various capacities, since 2011 and I have an ownership stake in the company.
That said, Greg is one of the most interesting people you'll ever meet. Many startup CEOs launch their company at night while working their day job. Greg started KaiNexus during the days while working some nights as an E.R. doc.
In today's episode, Greg (always the overachiever) shares FIVE favorite mistakes from his career:
Not reading more
Not figuring out work/life balance
Struggling with the diffusion of CEO attention as the company grows
Not being appreciative enough
Not doing his own due diligence
We'll talk about all of that, the importance of creating a culture of continuous improvement in a company, and much more. I think you'll enjoy the conversation, as I did.
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Learning from Mistakes at Toyota with Katie Anderson and Isao Yoshino

Toyota veteran Yoshino and business consultant Anderson... Japanese and American learning together.
Show notes: https://www.markgraban.com/mistake30
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Joining me for Episode #30 is Katie Anderson, the author of the book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: Lessons from Toyota Leader Isao Yoshino on a Lifetime of Continuous Learning. We are also joined by Mr. Yoshino, the subject of the book, who joined us from Japan. You can download a sample chapter via Katie's website.
I get the very unique opportunity to ask each of them about their “favorite mistake.” Mr. Yoshino tells a story from his early days at Toyota, where he learned the importance of not blaming individuals for systemic problems. He later retired from Toyota after nearly 40 years of work in Japan and the United States.
Katie then tells a story, from early in her career, about being a “bull in a china shop” during meetings and getting feedback that caused her to reflect and change.
We then talk about lessons from Toyota and their book, including the importance of creating a culture where it's safe for people to speak up about mistakes — either in a factory or in a hospital. Why is it important for leaders to create the conditions for people to be successful? Why should leaders take responsibility when mistakes happen? Why is intentional reflection the key to learning?
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Not Knowing Who She Wanted to Work With: Kim Thompson-Pinder

"The extraordinary word ninja" - author, publisher, book coach...
Show notes: https://www.markgraban.com/mistake29
Joining me for Episode #29 is Kim Thompson-Pinder and she calls herself the “the extraordinary word ninja." Kim is Owner/Chief Visionary Officer at RTI Publishing House, and she is the author of five books. Her most recent title, being released soon, is Author to Authority (click for a free preview). Kim is also host of a podcast of the same name.
You'll hear Kim talk about that colorful phrase and why she uses it. You'll learn about her favorite mistake of getting overwhelmed with clients -- how she just "fell into" this sort of work and she didn't clearly define who she would want to work with. Is it a mistake to not have a book? Maybe not, but Kim will talk about the value of having a "signature book" that defines you and your business.
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Actor Mark Teich: Why Following Others Held Him Back—and What Finally Changed

Actor, comedian, writer, director... entertainer Mark Teich
Show notes: https://www.markgraban.com/mistake28
Joining me for Episode #28 is Mark Teich, an actor, comedian, writer, and director. Mark and I were high school classmates, both graduating from Livonia (MI) Churchill High School in 1991. I played drums in the pit orchestra for at least four musicals that Mark acted, sang, and danced in (he later earned BFA degrees in all three disciplines). We catch up about high school days a bit in the episode, if you'll forgive us.
Mark honed his improv skills in Chicago and New York performing and writing in famed troupes such as The Second City and the Upright Citizens Brigade. He also enjoyed a highly successful comedy career culminating in four certified gold CD's, a certified gold DVD, two Comedy Central Presents specials, five worldwide tours… He performed at a sold-out Carnegie Hall with comedy partner Stephen Lynch. He has starred in four Disney cable shows… has been seen on shows like "Monk" and "New Girl," and the movie "Leatherheads."
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been watching, say, a football game on TV… and there’s Mark Teich in a commercial. He’s been in commercials for more than 80 companies including Bacardi, Dell, Subway, Little Caesars, IHOP, Fidelity Investments, and TempurPedic… channeled MC Hammer in a Hallmark commercial that was named “World’s Best Commercial.”
He is currently starring as “Uncle Vin” in an online series called The Finchers, Presented by Viewsonic.
Today, Mark shares his "favorite mistake" which involves following others instead of charting his own path for his career. We also talk about actors auditioning for jobs and parallels to those of us who are "auditioning" in terms of sales presentations or other competitive settings.
I think you'll enjoy the conversation, as I did. This was a lot of fun and I appreciate Mark making the mistake of joining me for a really fun episode to end the year with.
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Making Business Decisions Out of Ego with Trav Bell

Australian, coach, "bucket listologist"
Show notes: https://www.markgraban.com/mistake27
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Joining me for Episode #27 is Travis (Trav) Bell, coming to us from Victoria, Australia. He's not our first guest from Australia, but he is our first Aussie accent!
Trav is a self-appointed "Bucket Listologist" a.k.a. "The Bucket List Guy." He is a coach and a Certified Speaking Professional, and is also Founder & CEO of his coaching firm. Trav previously founded & franchised a chain of personal training studios across Australia and that's one of the things we'll talk about today in the context of his "favorite mistake."
"Making business decisions out of ego," is how he describes his favorite mistake.
You can find him online via his websites TheBucketListGuy.com and BucketListCoach.com.
He also has a new book just out called My Bucket List Blueprint, available through Amazon.
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Doubting Herself as a Singer and Performer: Yaya Diamond

Singer, recording artist, podcast host, radio host, and more...
Show notes: https://www.markgraban.com/mistake26
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Joining me for Episode #26 is Yaya Diamond, a professional singer, recording artist, podcast host and (now) radio host. She's very dynamic and I've enjoyed our conversations very much (she's having me on her podcast as a guest shortly, something we've already recorded). You can tell why she is a professional entertainer and I am not :-)
Yaya says that her "favorite mistake" is not trusting her own abilities and talents, which has sometimes held her back, as we'll discuss. Yaya has worked to stop repeating this mistake, using a "5-4-3-2-1" method that she learned that helps her avoid overthinking situations. We talk about making mistakes on stage as a performer (and I share a personal mistake that I made as a member of the Northwestern University Marching Band).
I think you'll enjoy the conversation, as I did.
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Sorority President Leadership Mistakes with Val Ries

Val = leadership trainer, executive coach, "management muse"
Show notes: https://www.markgraban.com/mistake25
Joining me for Episode #25 is Val Ries, a leadership trainer, an executive coach and a "management muse." She's a nurse with an MBA and her firm is called Executive Muse.
Val has a book due out in April 2021 called Chief Inspiration Officer, so I'm looking forward to that. You can get the first chapter now through her website.
Today, Val shares her "favorite mistake" about her first leadership role, as president of her sorority. Why does she reflect and say, "I didn't know what I was doing"? What did Val learn from this experience and how has it helped her in her career and in her work with others? We talk about this and more.
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Having Clients That Are a Bad Fit with Ash Taylor

From England, former tennis coach, entrepreneur, founder of The Business Clubhouse, and more
Show notes ://www.markgraban.com/mistake24
My guest for Episode #24 is Ash Taylor, our first guest from England. He is the Founder of The Business Clubhouse. He is also a speaker and a business coach supporting small business owners. Ash is also the author of the recently-released book titled Hitting the Wall: Winning the game of business by breaking through your own barriers. You can learn more at hittingthewallbook.co.uk.
Today, we talk about Ash's “favorite mistake” of working with clients that he was not well suited for, in the context of a business that he owned that provided services and coaches for tennis clubs. How has Ash worked to avoid making the same mistake in new ventures? How successful has he been at that? How does he coach other entrepreneurs around this issue?
We also talk about coaching business leaders and how we can make it safe, creating a culture of not being afraid to put your hand up and ask for help, as he aims to create a psychologically-safe environment of peers.
Ash and I also chat about planning for what to do WHEN we make a mistake (since we WILL make mistakes).
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”Let’s Be Bad Together” with Coach Jimmy Nelson

From Dallas, high-performance business coach, actor, and storyteller
Show notes: https://www.markgraban.com/mistake23
My guest for Episode #23 is Coach Jimmy Nelson, who has been a high-performance business coach for over a decade. Using his 20+ years of experience as a stage and film performer, Coach Jimmy crafted his own personal story to create a 7-figure business and now dedicates his life to helping professionals craft their own stories to attract and impact the lives of their ideal audiences. As he says, "Tell a story, change the world." You can learn more about his work via his website.
He also has a free eBook available now about his morning routine and what you can learn from that. You can also get free story-telling sources via www.storywellcrafted.com.
Today, we talk about Coach Jimmy's "favorite mistake" of letting external reasons become excuses. He says we need to "make stages" instead of waiting to be invited onto someone else's stage. We talk about mistakes that people make in story telling. And we discuss this blog post, "Stop blaming others and start taking action." He says you need to "first let it hurt, then take action." He adds, "Failure will always be part of our life, but that’s where we get our lessons from" and that's basically the theme of this entire podcast series.
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When Leaving Corporate Feels Like a Mistake

Consultant, award-winning author, and more
Show notes https://www.markgraban.com/mistake22
Joining me for Episode #22 is Karen Martin, President of TKMG, and Founder and President of TKMG Academy. She is the author of many books including The Outstanding Organization and Clarity First.
Today, we talk about Karen's "favorite mistake" of leaving a corporate job to go solo. Why was it a mistake to want the VP title so badly? Why did it seem like a mistake (to her or to others) for her to leave? We also have a great conversation about how to create a culture in a company where it's safe to talk about (and learn from) mistakes.
I also love this quote and you'll have to listen (or read the transcript) to get the context:
"So I think of certainty as being a form of arrogance because we can't actually ever be certain."
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