The central premise of this podcast episode revolves around the profound impact of leadership grounded in core values, as exemplified by the widely acclaimed series, Ted Lasso. Our distinguished guests, Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio, elucidate the transformative lessons derived from the series, particularly emphasizing the significance of fostering a culture that prioritizes positivity and personal growth within organizations. Both speakers recount their journey of establishing a successful company rooted in these principles, which ultimately led to their collaboration on the book, "Lead it Like Lasso." This work serves not only as a guide for professional development but also as a testament to the notion that effective leadership transcends traditional business frameworks, encapsulating personal development and authentic relationships. As we engage in this enlightening dialogue, listeners will gain invaluable insights into cultivating a thriving organizational culture that aligns with individual values and fosters collective success.

The primary focus of this podcast episode is the profound impact of embodying core values in leadership, as exemplified by the acclaimed series "Ted Lasso." We engage in a detailed discussion with Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio, co-authors of the book "Lead It Like Lasso," who elucidate the principles of fostering an environment of positivity and personal growth within organizations. Throughout our conversation, we explore how the show's ethos resonates with their own experiences in building a successful company without traditional sales tactics, instead emphasizing the cultivation of raving fans through authentic relationships. Moreover, we delve into the essential relationship between confidence, vulnerability, and leadership, highlighting the necessity for leaders to foster psychological safety within their teams. Ultimately, this episode serves as both an exploration of effective leadership practices and an affirmation of the importance of aligning personal values with professional endeavors.

In a compelling dialogue, Jaclyn Strominger engages with Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio to explore the intersection of leadership and personal development as exemplified in the celebrated series Ted Lasso and their co-authored work, Lead it Like Lasso. Marnie and Nick recount their initial collaboration within the educational technology sector, which was marked by a series of corporate acquisitions that severely tested their commitment to fostering a customer-first culture. Their experiences highlight the friction that arises when corporate values clash with operational realities, underscoring the necessity of cultivating an authentic organizational culture that prioritizes both employee engagement and customer satisfaction. Their journey culminated in the establishment of a company that emphasizes the importance of core values as a foundational element of business success, demonstrating that a culture of raving fans can be achieved without traditional sales tactics.

The discussion further delves into the pivotal role of values in shaping effective leadership. Marnie and Nick articulate that leadership should extend beyond mere management techniques to encompass a holistic approach that includes personal growth and self-awareness. They draw parallels between the character of Ted Lasso and their own leadership philosophy, emphasizing the significance of storytelling and emotional intelligence in fostering strong relationships within teams. This perspective encourages listeners to re-evaluate their own leadership styles and the values they uphold, ultimately advocating for a more nuanced understanding of what it means to lead.

As the dialogue progresses, the hosts emphasize the importance of confidence and vulnerability in leadership. Marnie and Nick share their insights on how to empower individuals in their professional journeys by helping them recognize their unique strengths and fostering an environment where it is acceptable to take risks and learn from failures. Their reflections resonate deeply with the audience, offering practical strategies for cultivating self-awareness and resilience in leadership roles. The episode concludes with a powerful reminder that effective leadership is inherently personal, urging listeners to embrace their individuality while striving for success in their respective domains.

Takeaways:

• The podcast underscores the importance of prioritizing core values before establishing vision and strategy in a business context.
• Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio share insights on fostering a positive culture within organizations, drawing parallels to the series Ted Lasso.
• The significance of understanding one's personal strengths and values is emphasized as a foundation for effective leadership and success.
• The discussion highlights that confidence in leadership can be cultivated through vulnerability and authenticity, encouraging individuals to embrace their unique qualities.

Links referenced in this episode:

• leaditlikelasso.com
• Get the Book Here https://amzn.to/3IQgRnS

Hey.

Well, hello everybody, and welcome to another amazing episode of Unstoppable Success. I am your host, Jaclyn Strominger.

And on this, on this podcast, we love to share amazing insights from leaders and authors and people that you know are going to help you have that unstoppable success in your life and in your business. And today I'm so excited. Okay, Because I know you guys all have.

Well, if you haven't watched the series after this, do me a favor, like go to your TV and go hit play. And that is the Ted Lasso series. And I have with me today Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio.

And let me just tell you, okay, I have not read the whole book. I just have to share that.

But these guys have just put in, taken what has been this amazing series and, and put it into great applicable words and lessons. But let me just give you a little bit of background on Marnie and Nick just to give you guys a background.

So Marnie started her career in leadership with the toughest customers and employees of all high school math students.

Oh, sorry.

Not my favorite. I mean, I loved math, but I can't even imagine working with high school students because I, I have kids.

Her passion for education and using data and humor to help others grow and succeed took her from the classroom to senior director of customer success at a leading edtech company, and now to co founder and former CEO of Lifecycle Insights, a VCIO customer success platform for MSPs. That's like a little bit.

That's a lot of mouthful. A lot of head letters.

Yeah, that's a lot of letters. And then Nick is a seasoned technology veteran with over three decades of experience in the ever evolving world world of it.

Well, let me just say I went to Carnegie Mellon and we had all had to learn how to program and, and it was like the, the class that we, every freshman had to take and it was, it basically ends up being pass or fail, right?

Yep.

So. And you had to learn to write Pascal computer like Pascal.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever I remember.

Yeah, well, people remember it, but like whoever uses it. Right, right.

Well, used to anyway.

Right, well, but the whole thing was it taught you how to think, but it's, you know, it's all the top down flossy of thinking. Anyway, welcome to Unstoppable Success.

Oh, thanks for having us.

We're excited to be here.

All right, so first of all, like, what inspired the two of you to write this?

And I actually, I want to preface this, and as a coach, I know I should never ask two questions in a row, but how did the two of you get together to do this?

Yeah, yeah. Well, Nick, you want to start?

Yeah, absolutely. So we started probably about 15 years ago.

We started working together at what is now the largest ed tech company in the world for education technology. And I was over technology.

Morning came in as the director of customer success and a funny thing kept on happening, which is we kept on getting acquired and acquired, acquired.

So you were pimped a lot? Sorry.

Yeah, 100%. 100%. And we were responsible, really. At that point, I had taken over customer support. Morning was customer experience. And the.

There was such a clash of the stated core values of the acquiring companies saying, yes, we believe in customer first, raving fans, all these sorts of things. But at the same time, they kept on taking away our resources. They would cut our budgets, they would remove our.

Our customer success folks, our support folks, making us do more with less. And to know us, to know both of us, both Marnie and I, it is all about raving fans, customer experience.

But they were completely taking that away from us. But at the same time, they're saying, you know what, this is our. Yeah, this is our number one core value.

In one side and out the other.

Kind of like, yeah, that's that culture clash that drives people nuts. So we, we dealt with it pretty well. We optimized our systems, we optimized our people. We did really well. But at some point. What did I say?

Marnie, what did I say?

He said we should start a company so that this never happens to our employees, so that we never make anybody feel like this. We should start a company to see if we can start a company that only runs on true raving fans. So we left to do that and.

That'S exactly what we did. And we were tied with non competes, so we couldn't go back into that same industry.

So we ended up starting a company in a completely foreign industry to us, which is outsourced IT services, that msp. And as it happens, we started, scaled and exited that company from zero, from nothing.

We invested $16,000 into an eight figure company in the same three years that Ted Lasso aired. And I'll let Marnie take it from there in terms of where we are now.

So in the midst of the pandemic. Nick was saying that he was watching this show with his family and that I should watch it.

And then the third to fifth time that he said it, he said, no, seriously, you have to watch Ted Lasso because I think you are Ted Lasso. So I thought, oh, I don't know what that means, but I should go figure it out. And I in hook, line and sinker.

But so much of what Ted Lasso's culture was about was what Nick and I were building in the company that we grew together, where it was all about positivity and growing each person to be their best version. And I had always believed that as a teacher, my responsibility was to help each student become the best version of themselves.

So he knew when he heard that line that I would be drawn in.

And so when we left, when we exited our company, a lot of folks were asking us how seven people managed to get a company to, again, an eight figure exit without any salespeople. And so lead it like Lasso was born. So we wrote the book in order to show folks.

And what we realized is that as we looked historically, where we were successful in our very different paths to get to where we were, that it wasn't about a business framework as much as it was about a personal development, personal leadership framework. And so that's what we wrote about. So the book is Lead it like Lasso, and the subtitle is a leadership book for life.

Your life, because it's really not about the title. And people lead in a locker room, a boardroom, a classroom, and their living room. So that's how we got from there to here.

All right, so things that you've just said, a couple things I just have to, like, first say, you know, it's what you just said about how you can have seven people go up to like an eight figure company.

Yeah.

But it's. And it's obviously the. The premise of how he led, but it's also with the values of the, of the people that are in the company or the people that you.

That you're surrounding yourself, surrounding yourselves with. If somebody's not the right fit.

Yeah.

Then we know that it's time for them to go. I mean, obviously that even happened in the show, right?

Yeah, yeah.

Something's not the right fit. They need to move on, and then it's. Then if it's the right time for them to come back, they can.

But when you have that culture, it's amazing what can happen.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Culture drives everything 100%.

And that, that you know, one of the things that's, you know, we get asked about quite a bit in the book is, you know, when people talk about presenting leadership frameworks, it almost always starts with vision and strategy. We took a different turn on that and twist on that. And we start with core values because that is what our success was 100% rooted in.

When we started that business, we defined the core values before we knew even what industry we were going to be in at all. And that drives us through that whole process of that company.

It's every place we've been successful prior to that company, there was alignment every place. Every time we had anxiety or stress, it was because of the clash of the core values and the culture, which is how it actually plays out.

So we firmly believe that. Is it Peter Drucker who says culture eats strategy for breakfast every day? Yeah, that's one of our tenants, for sure.

Well, the key thing, and I'm sure you guys have heard this a thousand times too, is that you cannot train character. You cannot train that. That is.

And I'm so glad that you said that you start with values before you get to your vision and your mission, because in order to create that vision and your mission, you have to include the values. You have to know what your values is, and your values are. Oh, my God, that was horrible English. But you have to know your values, because if.

And if you don't, everything else is kind of.

So I want to throw the story that's so aligned with what you're saying. I interviewed a gentleman for customer success because we had had to let somebody go because they just didn't align.

And when I called him or he called me and said, I don't think I'm a good fit because I've really been doing these sales trainings, and I'm looking for a sales position. And I called him back and I said, forgive me for being so bold, but I do think you're a good fit. I actually don't think you're a salesperson.

And he said, wait, what do you mean? I've been training?

And I said, all of the stories that you told me about your favorite interactions with customers were when you did the right thing by the customer and not necessarily by your quota. So that tells me that customer success comes first, and you can sell for us through customer success.

First we're going to wash all those sales language, that sales language out of your mouth before I let you talk to anybody. But he didn't even know his own. That was part of the problem.

The whole time is that he thought he was a salesperson because he was outgoing and like talking to people, but he didn't realize that he wasn't aligned with the way a company saw a salesperson. And he's really been really successful since then. That's.

I love that story. I absolutely love it. So, so I'm curious, like, you know, when you think about that, you know how. Because I think we're all salespeople, right?

Yeah.

Agree.

How do you think, like the book and the values and the lessons in the book can also help people almost like, you know, lead first with customer and then the sales come. Like, is that.

Oh, I mean, that is how we grew the company for sure. One of our favorite humans and favorite books to read is Bob Berg and the Go Giver. And it's the same strategy that we talk about in the book.

If you always have in mind, first you have to understand who you are first.

And that's critically important because if you don't understand the value that you and your company bring to others, you're not going to understand how helping someone else be successful in fact helps grow your company.

But if you understand your values and you're in line with the company, then you are in fact helping the customer and they will then want to buy from you without having. It's then just a matter of like, oh, this is the obvious answer to my problem. So that's how we've always thought about it.

I mean, and we're not saying that that's the only way to do it. What we're saying for sure is 100% that that model works. And we've known that. We've proven that.

We know that there will be people who disagree and say, yeah, we need this sales, this pipeline, all the. And yeah, we agree all of those things are important.

But we could also tell you that that customer first strategy without a doubt has proven to be successful in not only our experiences, but we also have the opportunity, we've been doing a lot lately of mentoring even younger people. And you know, customer is. It's not always something buy something.

It's somebody, it's a stakeholder in your life and, and providing value pays off 10x15x to when you do that with other people because they find a way to help you. And it just really is a model.

That works, you know, So I just, I really love this. So I so.

And I love Bob Berg too, because I, and I think he was on the podcast and actually he's how we connected and he the whole idea of go givers and like, just, just to be able to give is. I mean, he. It's so powerful and there's so many different ways to give.

And so I want to actually just, you know, one of the things that's coming to my mind is the idea of confidence. And, you know, right before we were having talk, I just shared it and I'll share this.

I mean, the idea, and I'm going to read that because I just think it's so important, is that, you know, and I'll read this, that Ted was passionate about the fact that it wasn't the hope that kills you, it's the lack of hope. And innovative filmmaker James Cameron would add, hope is not a strategy. And then he also said, the first time you.

As you wrote the first time Kit Man, Nate had an idea for a strategic play. He mumbled, lacking enough confidence to say the words. And Ted told him, I have a hard time hearing people who don't believe in themselves.

So I'd love to hear, like, how do you feel like hope and that line, confidence kind of go together?

Yeah. Well, hope isn't a strategy.

Right.

And if you aren't confident in yourself, you're just hoping for the outcome as opposed to, if you're confident in your preparation and in your goal setting, in your plan, then the outcome is way more a guarantee than just like, I don't actually know what I'm doing, so I'm just going to have to hope for the best as opposed to, I know what I'm doing, I'm good at what I'm doing. And so that's where we're going, and we're going to get there. And you might have to change strategies along the way, but hope just isn't the plan.

Yeah.

I would also add to that because I think, you know, as somebody who lacked confidence, especially early on in my career, you know, I used to think I was what I was what you call an accidental leader. I. I was really good at my functional job.

And I kept getting promoted and promoted and promoted, not really wanting to get promoted and promoted and promoted. And, you know, I didn't. It took me a while to realize that. That being in that leadership position wasn't about having all the answers.

And it wasn't until I started to embrace vulnerability and owning my mistakes and, you know, started to choose, I don't know, transparency over polish, that I started to become more and more confident. It's a weird thing, right?

I think, you know, I had a lack of confidence, but as soon as I started admitting mistakes and that I didn't know everything, I started getting more and more confident and. And I think a big part of that was my support network, my mentors, people who helped me with that.

So I love that line that you talked about that we have in the book that was in the show with Ted talking to Nate about I have a hard time hearing people who don't believe in themselves. That's in part Ted letting Nate know it's okay to take a risk and speak for yourself, which I think is so stinking important.

Yeah, it is. Okay. So I. So in this same vein, like, because I think that's. It's also really.

It's a key thing that I think that gets asked a lot in, in leadership and in business is how do you as a leader, you know, you know, as Ted shared, I mean, obviously it's, you know, letting him know that you. It's okay to take that risk. But how do we.

How does the leader help that person in their tribe gain the confidence so that when they walk into a room, they're not walking like. And if your listeners. You don't know what I just did because I sometimes forget. I just, like, shrugged my shoulders forward, you know, like.

So how do you help that person walk into the room with the. The feeling of. Of confidence and empowerment versus the meek person?

Well, I do think it is about knowing who they are because when you understand who you are, you better see how you fit with a company. A school system invited me in to talk to their leadership program. So we had a bunch of high schoolers. And it was interesting.

There was a one student who clearly knew who he was and his buddy who clearly was just going to follow whatever he did. And one of the activities we did was all about understanding their core values.

And the one student really knew that communication was a key part of his life. And when I asked him why, he could tell me all kinds of stories about how it fit and how it was his superpower.

So I specifically was asking, how is your core value your superpower? I talked to the other kid that I knew for a fact, like, this was not my first day at this rodeo. You know, tell me about why it is your superpower.

Because he had just guide saw him copy the core value. He couldn't tell me anything. And you could watch him slink and like, slump into his chair because he knew he copied.

He didn't feel authentic and he was too scared to take a risk. So I think you need to let them be vulnerable. But Then help them understand their strengths.

Because when you do and you understand the value you bring to the company and how you're aligned with the company values and culture, you can walk into a room with confidence because you know why you're there.

Right.

I think it's, I think it's, it's important to know, you know, even our book, we call it Lead it like Lasso, but we, we don't just focus in on, on TED Lasso specifically. We talk about the strengths of Rebecca and Keely and Sam and Roy.

And you know, even between ourselves, Marnie is a completely different leader than I am. You know, full of life, you know, she's the Ted Lasso type. I'm more the ask questions more the Trent Crim type.

And it's important, you know, when I worked with people and I was one of these people that, that didn't have that confidence. Like I said earlier, one of the biggest points that my mentors always banged home with me, which is there are different ways to lead.

Not everybody leads the same way. And that is absolutely okay. And I think that's a big part.

In addition to the culture you establish as a leader to make sure that there is psychological safety and you can practice within your culture to start to develop that confidence. But also knowing that you don't have to. I don't need to be like Marnie to present well. I can bring my own strengths.

And that goes back to what Marty was saying about understanding what your strengths are.

Yeah. And you know, it's so true.

And the reason why I bring this up too is, is that so many people think that a leader is somebody who is, for lack of better word, loud.

Yeah.

Like a lot of times I think.

It'S very charismatic, super extroverted, that type of thing. Yeah.

Button.

And there are studies that say the opposite of that. Not, not the opposite, but have strong support for the, the power of being an introvert and, and the leadership capabilities of that.

And I think this is a really thing like listeners, I think it's so important to know like you can be an amazing leader and take charge, but take charge quietly.

Yes, I, I would. Jim Collins. Good to Great talks about humility and force of will are the two keys to get from a level four to a level five leader.

And those really big personalities often lack one of those, especially humility. And then Susan Keynes quiet about into like the superpower of introvert. I think everyone should read that book as well.

We give a lot of book recommendations in our book. So I'm like A walking recommendations in general. But that book I think everyone should read.

Extroverts need to read it so they understand why they should be more introverted. And introverts should read it so they understand how it's a superpower and how they're powerful.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think. I think the most.

One of the most effective leadership strategies that you can have to help drive growth and innovation is leading with questions instead of answers. And I think introverts, that is their superpower, they lead with questions, and it may be in their head for a while, but that. That is how they.

How they process things, or at least that's how I process things, and I am very much of that introverted, you know, nature.

Yeah.

So do both of you have, like, a favorite scene from.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

So.

Yeah. You want us to hit them?

Yeah, I want to know what they are with me and tell me the why.

So I will say when Ted says, I have. We have some gifts for you all up in your lockers. And he hands out books to every character. It's the third episode.

I literally just got goosebumps right now. And I've watched the show. I can't tell you how many times the teacher in me thought, look at this.

He understands not just who the players are, but who they can become. And he's going to teach them not by giving them a lecture, but by storytelling.

And storytelling is so powerful that that one just gives me all the goosebumps. So that's. That's my favorite. Nick, what's yours?

I'm gonna. I'm gonna go chalk here for steal a basketball term and. And choose the scene that I think everybody thinks of, which is the dartboard scene.

Yes.

You know, where. Where Rupert is. Is. Is. Is they had some sort of bet for the ownership stake or something about control of the.

The team, and he thinks he can just beat up on Ted in a game of darts because Rupert brought his own darts. He plays it all the time. And Ted comes across, and little do we know that he has been playing darts with his dad growing up.

And he drops the line that we should all be more curious and not judgmental, and Rupert should have asked the questions about if Ted had ever thrown darts.

Right, right, right. Yeah. Right.

Yeah.

You know, I think it's so true. It's. It is. It's asking those questions, and it's like. It's. It's understanding that everybody on your team has had some other past experience, and.

And you need to be able to. I mean, Obviously they were not on the same team but. But everybody has something that, that maybe you don't know about them.

So you do need to be inquisitive and to ask about the people on your team and also the people that either you're selling against or to. To and your competition.

Yeah.

Yes, a hundred percent.

Right. So. So I'm, I'm also kind of surprised that neither of you thought that of your favorite scene as when you put up the belief side.

Well, fair. I mean honestly, we could speak favorite scenes for days.

Like if you just so you know, this is a six hour episode, we would have said fine, like let's go. You know, I can come up with the top 25. So of course you love the belief.

But I think, you know, it's interesting that I did pick a scene that I felt as a teacher which at the core of me is a teacher. I do it in a different way. And the scene that Nick picked is about questions and curiosity which is at the core of his superpower.

So it kind of doesn't surprise me because there's, you know, there are all of these. I mean the whole show was full of so much goodness. You want all of them to be like be a goldfish would pop up. Don't you dare settle for.

I mean literally could go on for days. And the believe was so powerful. But I think that's almost more global that what really touched is when we made it. When it made it personal.

And I think when you look at the 100,000 people in the TED Lasso Facebook community, everybody's got a piece that felt like kind of they were talking to them and that's what makes everybody special, is their uniqueness.

Yeah. And that's so true and I'm so glad that you said that because it is, it's. We all, we all have a superpower.

And I think one of the key things is that you know whether, whether you're reading the book, you know, lead it, you know lead it like Lasso or these are these all help you really help you know who you are and define and to figure out what your superpower is. And if you haven't like really spend some time like do that work. Do the work.

Know your superpower because it's going to come out and when you know it, it just, it's amazing all the. What you can do with it.

Yeah.

Has one a good one.

Y. Agreed.

So. All right, so here's the. The for me, One of the $6 million questions. Another season.

Yeah. It's Coming.

Yeah, we're super excited.

Yeah. So what, where does that fit in with what you guys are going to be doing? And what are you doing next? Or now?

Like, you know, is it, Is it, is it summits? Is it courses? Is it.

Yeah, it's unexpected. Go ahead, Nick.

So we did something that, so this was really like glass was really our entrance into being authors, and we swore we would never do that again. And we cross the line. Yeah.

So we have, we have another book coming out shortly called the Business of you, which talks about treating your life like a business, being the CEO of you. Jaclyn, you mentioned that earlier.

I have a whole topic, I do a whole website webinar on being the CEO of you.

Absolutely.

So we visit each department, whether it's the marketing department to work on your brand, whether it's the product department to ask the right questions. We talk about the board of Advisors in terms of surrounding yourself with the Challenge Network.

But what's a little unique about it was that was in our end game. It's a fable.

So it follows the story of Sydney, who is struggling to stand out, and she meets this magical mentor who kind of guides her along the way and introduces her to the Company of Blue.

But at the heart of it is an app that Sydney, the lead character, is using that helps her identify her core values, has some interview simulations, helps her develop her brand and strategy and connect with the board of advisors. But we're actually building that app, so we're super excited about that.

Oh, I, I, I see a second, a second appearance coming up.

Excellent. We'd love to. Yeah.

Like the book, then the app.

We're all in. We're very excited about it. The book will be out within the month and the app will be later this year.

Oh, that is so fantastic. I absolutely love that. It is.

You know, obviously, as we were sharing before, it's like I, I truly believe in each, that each and every one of us does need to be the CEO of ourselves in order to live, you know, to be unstoppable and to have that unstoppable success. So I absolutely love that, and I can't wait for the, that app to come out. Okay, so Nick and Marty, how can everybody connect with you?

We are easy to find online on LinkedIn. Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio, thankfully, thankfully, fairly easy to find us. But we are also Lead it like Lasso, so. Or lead it like lasso.com.

all of our social media handles are Lead it like Lasso. The book is on Amazon, so that's the easiest way to find it there. And we just released our audiobook, which is super exciting.

So all those dog walks with Audible.

Books I was sharing with them before, I walk and I walk and listen, I'm a big, you know, I have a Portuguese water dog and so she's a little high energy.

Let's go burn some energy.

Yeah, so she needs to get walked. So I'm a, I'm a big audible a lot. Yeah. So I love that. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, guys, I totally loved having you on.

Listeners in the show notes, there will be a direct link to the book on Amazon. So you can just click in the show notes and grab a copy of that book of the book.

And I will also have their links to their social media profiles also for you guys to all click on and websites and social medias. So please do me the favor of reach out and connect with both Nick and Marnie and then do me the next favor too of hitting subscribe.

And third, please share this episode with your friends, your families, your colleagues, your business associates because this is so important and there are a lot of great lessons that I know that we have shared today. So thank you guys for being here and thank you listeners for, for listening again.

I'm Jaclyn Stinger, the host and I hope that we get to see you again soon.

Thanks so much for having so much, Jaclyn.

Thanks.